Fuhgeddaboud it, New York.
Last week, a delegation from Connecticut flew all over to Washington, DC to proclaim that New Haven is the “pizza capital” of the United States.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, a Democrat who represents New Haven and the surrounding region in the House of Representatives, made the formal announcement on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol with more than a hundred community leaders and pizza manufacturers.
DeLauro claims that Connecticut has more family-owned pizzerias than any other state in the nation, as well as the highest number of pizzerias per capita.
“There is something special about New Haven pizza. Some say it is coal fire, some say brick ovens. Some say it is char. Some say it is the water used to make the dough. Personally, I believe it is generation after generation of dedication to the craft,” DeLauro stated in her 90-second speech on Wednesday.
New Haven, a coastal city with a population of 140,000, and best known for hosting Yale University, is a culinary destination for foodies from all over the nation because of its distinctive “apizza.” Pronounced “ah-beetz” by the locals, apizza is a thin-crust, coal-fired Neapolitan spin on the classic pie that is currently offered at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and several other notable pizzerias in the region, including Sally’s Apizza and Modern Apizza. The term reportedly originated in 1925 from the Neapolitan dialect used by the first southern Italian immigrants to settle in the city.
“Many things are debated in the halls of Congress and Washington, D.C., but one thing that’s not up for debate is that New Haven has the best pizza in the country. Our local pizzerias are local, national and international destinations, and New Haven-style pizzerias are being established and shipping their pizza products all over the globe. However, there’s nothing like going to the actual source, and I encourage everyone to come visit New Haven, enjoy our pizza and all our city has to offer,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, who was part of the delegation.
New York City pizza enthusiasts and producers, however, met the announcement with disdain, arguing that the Empire State was already well recognized as the birthplace of the best pizza in the country.
One of them was Frank Tuttolomondo, the owner of Mama’s Too pizzeria in Manhattan. “No way; they’re outta their minds,” he told the The New York Times.
“For me, hands down, New York City is the number one pizza capital of the world,” he added. “You have every style here. You have Neapolitan guys doing Neapolitan pizza making better pizza than makers in Naples. From round to square, long to short, you have everything in this city.”
