I was a Midwestern girlie for four years in undergrad so I had the pleasure of driving through cornfields in Indiana and more importantly, being in spaces where New Yorkers and Chicagoans tussled to assert the superiority of their own pizza. For the longest time, I did not understand the hype—all the fuss over a cheesy crust? Then the magic happened: I took a bite—several bites, actually—from coast to coast, and I found myself diving deeper and deeper into the delicious depths of the pizza controversy! Turns out, pizza is not just pizza, rather it’s a representation of the culinary culture of each state as well as a battleground of tastes and traditions. From the Midwestern Deep Dish pizza to Sicilian pizza, my project explores the cheesy chaos of pizzas and shows which ones are favored by which state. As a bonus, I will throw in my own preferences because who does not love a good ranking?

Sicilian is the most popular pizza ordered across the states with 10 states picking this thick, satisfying square slice. It’s also very popular in New York—a city known for its iconic Neopolitan-style pizza also known as the New York style pizza mostly because of its large Italian immigrant population. This delight— fluffy, spongy bread base topped with a meatless sauce made from tomatoes, onions, herbs, and anchovies is also favored by states such as Florida, Arizona, Nevada, new Mexico, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Delaware. My rating? Well, it’d give it a 8/10 just because the crust is too thin for my liking.

The next one on the list is the Chicago style Deep Dish Pizza or in other words something that a lot of midwesterners especially native Chicagoans would absolutely go to war for! Deep Dish is baked in a pan and layered with cheese, fillings like meat and vegetables, and sauce–in that order. Why is Deep Dish so strongly associated with Chicago, you might ask? Well, it’s because this pizza style was literally invented in Chicago and has been native to it for many years now. My rating? Drum roll please! 10/10? That sounds about right. If you are a fan of pie, this style might be for you because the thickness of pizza crust here definitely resembles that of a pie!

The third most popular type is Supreme. This type of pizza is popular because it offers different types of toppings. No matter if you like sweet or savory toppings, Supreme can offer something to everyone. This type of pizza is the most popular in the South, specifically in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Tennessee as well is Wyoming. I’d rate this one 7/10.

Now, was I able to resolve the pizza controversy? Ahh, probably not. But that’s okay! Each type of pizza is unique in its own way and has an audience. With that being said, my personal favorite is the chicago deep dish style. Shhh, don’t tell my New Yorker friends!