When I was a kid, I fell in love with Sicilian slices at my local pizzerias. Dalisa Pizza in our local Waldbaumβs shopping center is where all the kids would go after school.
But the best Sicilian slice or pie was at a little joint across the parking lot in the Grand Union shopping center.
When I moved to New Jersey, I needed to get an education from the people with a lifetime of experience chowing down on good Sicilian style pizza in the Garden State. Where do I go?
According to Basil Pizza Bar: Sicilian pizza is believed to have first been made in Sicily, Italy, during the 19th Century. During those periods, various kinds of pizza were popular with constant experiments in enhancing the flavor.
According to La Cucina Italiana: Sicilian pizza is derived from sfincione, a street food synonymous with Palermo, Sicily’s capital. Nowadays, it’s topped with tomato sauce, but the original version was complete with anchovies, sliced tuma (Sicilian cheese made from raw sheepβs milk), breadcrumbs with grated pecorino cheese, onions, salt, and extra-virgin olive oil. It originated in Bagheria, a town in the commune of Palermo, around six miles from the city center.
Sicilian-style pizza was introduced to the United States by Sicilian immigrants in the mid-20th century. Topping Sicilian pies with mozzarella most likely happened because most Italian bakeries and restaurants in New York City would have had access to good quality, low cost mozzarella.
The dough making method and preparation is different from the Neapolitan and other kinds of pizza.
I love the Sicilian Pizzaβs thick spongy dough which is prepared from a combination of flour, water, olive oil, and yeast. It is pressed and placed on a square baking pan coated with olive oil along with toppings such as tomatoes, and all the good things that make a fine Sicilian pie.
I sifted through the pages of my favorite local food sites and social media food pages to see where the Jersey Sicilian pizza eating experts go for the ultimate Sicilian pizza eating experience.
Brother's Pizza on Rt. 33 - : 871 NJ-33, Hamilton Township, NJ 08619
The showstopper here is the Sicilian Bee Sting!!
