Well with Pizza I think it has to do with the dough. If it’s on a pizza dough then people are going to call it pizza but I do wonder about these things sometimes. They seem to stretch the definitions on these things a little thin sometimes. For instance I’ve heard okonomiyaki referred to as “Japanese pizza’. Now okonomiyaki is delicious. I make it myself but it’s about as much like a pizza as burritos. If I had to liken it to something I think I would use savory pancake for my description. Often I’ll try a recipe and change the name when people ask what it is because I think to myself no way I can call this a lasagna for instance with a straight face, it has no noodles, tomato, cheese, béchamel or anything else that’s in a lasagna so I will change the name to casserole or something.
You're probably more right than not about the dough, Jfain.
I think about Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, for instance. It starts with an enriched dough; more like a low-hydration foccacia than pizza. Then it's formed into a bowl shape, and filled with savory stuff.
By the time you're done, you have something pretty tasty. But pizza it's not---by any stretch of the imagination.
Now the question becomes: if we took that dough and rolled it into a disk, put fillings in the middle, and folded the edges towards the filling. What do with have then? A rustic pie? A sort of pizza? A filled foccacia?
I think about Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, for instance. It starts with an enriched dough; more like a low-hydration foccacia than pizza. Then it's formed into a bowl shape, and filled with savory stuff.
By the time you're done, you have something pretty tasty. But pizza it's not---by any stretch of the imagination.
Now the question becomes: if we took that dough and rolled it into a disk, put fillings in the middle, and folded the edges towards the filling. What do with have then? A rustic pie? A sort of pizza? A filled foccacia?
Speaking of pizza... I've proll'y mentioned this before (though it's worth mentioning again!) but I am fast falling in lust w/ the shaved-headed Italian dude who tosses the dough and does all sorts of flat-bread acrobatics with pizza crust- including allowing it to roll across his back and shoulders- on the new Visa tv commercial! Anybody seen it! That dude can top my pizza any day! HA! (okay, okay! SORRY! The str8 men here get a voucher for one free boob joke!)
At another foodie place I hang-out at sometimes a friend just posted a Bobby Flay recipe for grilled fresh peaches. He splits and pits a fresh juicy peach. Grills it well, then fill the seed-cavity w/ bleu cheese and drizzles it w/ honey or maple syrup. Dang- this sounds incredible to me!