Windsor-style pizza
 A Windsor-style pizza prior to being baked | |
| Type | Pizza |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Region or state | Windsor, Ontario |
Windsor-style pizza is a style of pizza characterized by its thin crust using cornmeal and flour, high-fat cheese, shredded pepperoni, and canned mushrooms developed in Windsor, Ontario. It was invented in the late 1950s or early 1960s and has become the dominant pizza style in Windsor. It is well-liked among locals and former locals who have ordered it from thousands of kilometres away.
Description
[edit]Windsor pizzas have a chewy, thick-textured crust made with flour and cornmeal.[1] The crust is thin but thicker than that of New York–style pizza.[2] The sauce features a blend of spices with a high amount of oregano.[1][3] The mozzarella cheese used is high in fat and most pizzerias in Windsor source their cheese from the Windsor-based Galati Cheese Company.[3] Most of the ingredients are sourced locally.[1] The pepperoni on Windsor-style pizzas is shredded, done to ensure the pepperoni taste is in every bite and to prevent the formation of grease puddles.[3][4] Mushrooms used to top Windsor-style pizzas are canned rather than fresh to prevent burning.[1]
The most popular type of Windsor-style pizza is the Super, featuring shredded pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, and green peppers.[2]
History
[edit]Windsor-style pizza is believed to have been invented by Volcano Pizzeria, though other restaurants claim to have invented the recipe themselves instead;[5][6] Volcano Pizzeria was founded by cousins Gino Manza and Frank Gualtieri.[7] It was originally a diner selling Italian food before becoming the first Windsor restaurant to serve pizza in either 1957[8] or the early 1960s,[6] around when other pizzerias began to operate in the city.[6][8] Some pizzerias in Windsor have confirmed they trace their recipe back to Volcano Pizzeria.[6]
Other restaurants that have been associated with the Windsor-style pizza include Sam's Pizzeria and Mario’s Restaurant. The former, established in 1947, was not identified as a pizzeria until 1960. The latter, established in 1940, only became identified as a pizzeria in 1964. In 1960, Capri Pizzeria was also identified in the Windsor business directory. The number of pizzerias in the city increased in subsequent years, as the dish became more popular in Canada.[8]
By the mid-1980s, the style had become beloved among locals and Americans regularly visited Windsor pizzerias.[9] The pizza market in Windsor had become very competitive and some chains like Little Caesar's could not survive in Windsor.[9] A 1992 Windsor Star article stated Windsor had started the trend of flatbread pizza in Canada.[10]
Impact
[edit]
Due to the popularity of Windsor-style pizza in Windsor, most pizzerias in Windsor are locally owned rather than part of a national chain.[1] In 2024, Postmedia ran a poll which found Windsor to be its readers' favourite Canadian pizza city.[5] According to the 2022 documentary The Pizza City You've Never Heard of, Windsor has the most pizzerias per capita in Canada.[2] Galati Cheese manager Peter Piazza stated to the National Post in 2024 that the city has approximately 200 pizzerias.[2] Windsor-style pizzerias have opened in Calgary[11] and Toronto.[12] Former Windsorites have ordered pizzas from thousands of kilometres away which one pizzeria owner stated occurred at least a few times every month.[13][14][15]
Windsor-style pizza by Armando's received third place in the 2013 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas; Armando's chef Dean Litster was later named 2018 Chef of the Year by Canadian Pizza Mag.[8] In 2020, music promoters George Kalivas and Tristan Laughton made The Pizza City You've Never Heard of, a documentary about Windsor's pizza, believing it stood among the best pizza cities worldwide.[16] The documentary was released in 2022.[17] In 2024, a post showing the shredded pepperoni went viral on X, sparking an online debate over it.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Hood, Sarah (August 10, 2017). "Knead to know: 'Windsor pizza' is a thing, and it's delicious". TVO Today. TVO. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Brehaut, Laura (August 28, 2024). "Who makes the best Canadian pizza? I crisscrossed the country to find out". National Post. Postmedia. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c Hill, Sharon (December 29, 2017). "What makes Windsor pizza Windsor pizza?". Windsor Star. Postmedia. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ Kalivas, George. "The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of". YouTube. CBC Docs. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ a b Brehaut, Laura (September 6, 2024). "Canadians prefer pineapple on pizza and vote Windsor as the top pizza place". National Post. Postmedia. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Pinto, Jonathan (June 10, 2016). "Volcano Pizzeria: A look into one of Windsor's most famous pizza palaces". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ Windsor Public Library; Windsor's Community Museum; Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County; Italian Community Committee; Windsor Mosaic Group. "Volcano Restaurant and Pizzeria". Windsor Mosaic. Archived from the original on May 18, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Windsor Public Library. "History of "Windsor Style'" Pizza". Archived from the original on April 20, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ a b Doelen, Chris Vander (March 30, 1985). "Pizza". The Saturday Windsor Star. p. E4 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Whipp, Ted (April 8, 1992). "Pizza Proliferation". Windsor Star. pp. C1, C3 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Chen, Dalson (January 15, 2016). "Pizza shop offers taste of Windsor to Calgarians". Windsor Star. Postmedia. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ Chen, Dalson (February 9, 2021). "Windsor-style pizza business opens in Toronto". Windsor Star. Postmedia. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ Wilhelm, Trevor (January 27, 2015). "Pizza lover has pie delivered from Windsor to Regina". Windsor Star. Postmedia. Archived from the original on May 18, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ "Why this B.C. man spent $600 to order pizza all the way from Windsor, Ont". CBC Radio. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 6, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ Fraser, Katie (February 1, 2021). "Windsor pizza delivered some 4,000 km to Vancouver Island". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ St. Amand, Matthew. "The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of". Windsor Life Magazine. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ a b Fortnum, Travis (November 1, 2024). "Windsor teen's shredded pepperoni pizza post goes viral". CTV News. Bell Media. Retrieved June 25, 2025.