Brier Hill–style pizza

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Brier Hill-style pizza
Type	Pizza
Place of origin	Youngstown, Ohio
Created by	Italian Immigrants
Main ingredients	tomato pizza sauce, red and green peppers, Romano cheese

Brier Hill-style pizza was developed by Italian immigrants in the Brier Hill neighborhood of Youngstown, Ohio. It is Youngstown's best-known style of pizza.

History

The pizza was developed in the Brier Hill neighborhood of Youngstown, Ohio.^[1] The neighborhood takes its name from the nearby Brier Hill Farm estate of Ohio judge George Tod and former Ohio governor David Tod and the family's Brier Hill Iron & Coal Company.^[1]^[2]^[3] The area was where Youngstown's first Italian immigrants settled in the late 1800s to find work in the steel mills.^[1]^[4]

They developed the style during the Great Depression as a use for extra bread dough.^[1] It was originally baked in communal brick ovens.^[1]

Description

Brier Hill pizza is characterized by a breadlike dough, thick tomato sauce, bell peppers and Romano cheese rather than the more-typical mozzarella.^[1]^[4]^[5]^[6] The traditional toppings were used because home-canned tomatoes and peppers were common items in many Italian homes and Romano cheese can be stored without refrigeration.^[6]

Popularity

Brier Hill is Youngstown's best-known style of pizza.^[7] It is not well-known outside of the area, but examples exist in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Columbus.^[5]^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Guerrieri, Vince; Sands, Lisa (March 2022). "3 Ohio Pizza Styles and Where to Get Them". Ohio. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
^ Rickman, William (2016-03-09). "Brier Hill". Belt Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
^ "Brier Hill: It's a Pizza Tradition in the Valley". La Gazzetta Italiana. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Guerrieri, Vince. "Brier Hill Pizza A church bakes up hundreds of these regional pizzas once a week". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Lee, Dennis (20 May 2021). "The Big Honkin' Guide To America's Regional Pizza Styles". The Takeout. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Sole, Sarah. "This little known, Ohio-born style of pizza is quietly gaining a footing in Columbus". 614Now. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
^ Trill, Tyler. "Brier Hill Pizza's legacy lives on in Youngstown". WKBN-TV. Retrieved September 13, 2024.

Pizza in the United States

Styles

National	Coal-fired pizza Pan pizza Stuffed crust pizza Italian tomato pie Pizza by the slice
Regional	Altoona-style Beach pizza Brier Hill–style California-style Chicago-style Colorado-style Columbus-style Dayton-style Detroit-style Grandma-style Greek-style Neapolitan-style New Haven–style New York–style Ohio Valley–style Trenton-style Quad City–style Sheet-style Sicilian-style St. Louis–style