The History of Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Dough

Many people know the history of New York style pizza dough. Early in the 1900s, the first pizzeria opened in New York city, and a food icon was born. But what about Chicago deep dish pizza dough? How did this trend of thick crust with tons of toppings get started?  

 

It was in 1943 that Ric Riccardo, owner of Pizzeria Uno in the heart of Chicago, gave birth to a new take on pizza; and it was one that many would come to love even more than the popular New York style. Instead of a light, thin pizza crust, Riccardo created a crust that was thick with deep sides, creating a sort of square bowl for the toppings to set inside. He went further than the crust too, placing the cheese down as a topping first, and then smothering it with sauce over top. This was in fact, the exact opposite of how pizzas had been created up until that point. And instead of pepperoni, he used Italian sausage as the main topping. 

 

Of course, you can find Chicago deep dish pizza today all around North America, and with whatever toppings you wish to have on it. Some pizzerias still use the tradition of placing the sauce on top of the cheese, while others take on the Italian style of sauce first, then the heaps of cheese. 

 

However they make it though, it was in 1943 that the Chicago deep dish was born!