NEPA Pizza Styles: The Difference Between Old Forge And Sicilian

When plotting a pizza pilgrimage around America, New York would be your first stop. However, you'd probably also visit Chicago to taste the iconic deep dish (not to be confused with stuffed pizza), before heading to Michigan for a chewy, crispy slice — Detroit style. But we're here to tell you before it's too late: Northeastern Pennsylvania should be at the top of your list. Here, the native pies fall under the umbrella of "NEPA" pizzas, and while two of the most popular styles — an Old Forge and a Sicilian — might look the same at first glance (thick rectangles of tomatoey, cheesy goodness), it only takes a bite to taste the difference.

Let's start with Old Forge. This pizza is cooked with a crisp underside and a spongy center, with a medium-thick crust. It's parbaked before onions and a sweet, chunky tomato sauce are added, and then the dough is topped with a melt-in-your-mouth cheese blend. The mix might include mozzarella, cheddar, Cooper, and American cheese — but really, what's in it is top secret, with local joints closely guarding their recipes. The pizza is then divided into 12 "cuts" (slices), and you can order either the whole tray or half.

A pan-fried Sicilian also comes sliced into squares, but this time you buy the cuts individually. The Sicilian looks different, too. The dough is proofed and pressed before being brushed with tomato sauce and baked in a pool of peanut oil, creating a glistening, golden texture. Wisconsin white cheddar cheese is sprinkled on top, making for a crunchy delicacy with an airy center that's akin to a particularly crispy focaccia.

It would be wild for a small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains to call itself the pizza capital of the world, right? Well, that's exactly what Old Forge does. There are 11 pizzerias in the town, which has a population of 8,497 residents. Ooni did the math, and that works out to a whopping 129.4 pizzas per 100,000 people. So there's no shortage of Old Forge pizzas to go around.

The origins of the dish trace back to the town's coal mining era in 1926. Miners, ravenous after a grueling day of underground labor, sought a new snack — and the Ghigiarelli family, owners of the local tavern, were more than happy to provide. It was Grandmother Ghigiarelli who started selling pizzas in metal pans. She fired up a culinary movement, and now eateries like Anthony's and Arcaro & Genell serve up a slice of her legacy to tourists and locals alike.

On the other hand, as the story goes, pan-fried Sicilian pizza was popularized by the Ceccoli family in Luzerne County after World War II. They're the people behind popular local joints Victory Pig Pizza and BBQ in Wyoming, meaning the snack is often called Victory Pig pizza today. But don't limit yourself — if you're in town, try Old Forge and Sicilian, then grab a slice of the controversial Altoona style before washing it down with a Pennsylvania drink that tastes like tree bark, to get a real taste of the county's pizza culture.