What Makes St. Louis-Style Pizza So Unique (And So Controversial)?

While every food has fans and detractors due to the nature of taste and subjectivity, some foods are more controversial than others. Enter St. Louis-style pizza, a distinctly different type of pizza involving an extra-thin crust (often described as cracker-like), a sweet tomato sauce, and — the source of most controversy — Provel cheese. This unique cheese is synonymous with St. Louis and is a blend of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone, with other added ingredients. St. Louis pizza is also cut it into squares rather than wedges. The pizza was developed and popularized by Imo's Pizza, a regional chain that started in St. Louis and now has locations in Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas.

However, while regional pizza like Chicago deep dish and New York style have spread far beyond its city of origin, many people may be unfamiliar with St. Louis style. Chowhound spoke with chef Andrew Zimmern during the NYC Wine & Food Fest at the Seaport to determine why this might be. A proud defender of New York style ("There is no other pizza but the one birthed in this town," he says), Zimmern isn't keen on St. Louis style.

"I love the people of St. Louis. I love the fact that they have a regional food that is theirs," he says. "However, Provel cheese is ... I don't understand it. And I think for the majority of people who eat pizza, when they try a St. Louis-style pie and they get a very runny, very creamy, very un-cheesy cheese on their pizza, it becomes an issue for them."

Andrew Zimmern has a theory that people are more likely to enjoy the pizza they grew up eating. When it comes to St. Louis-style pizza, the unexpected texture of Provel cheese is off-putting for someone not from the area who just wants a nostalgic pizza experience. On the other hand, he says, "People who grew up in St. Louis, who eat those pizzas in bars all the time, that's their pizza." Beyond the creamier texture of Provel cheese, the taste is also different from various types of mozzarella cheese. Provel is made with liquid smoke, giving it — naturally — a smokier flavor than you might expect on a pizza.

In a Reddit thread asking St. Louis natives to describe Provel, responses ranged from fairly normal ("like provolone Velveeta") to disturbingly creative ("the aftertaste is like licking a bucket of cow milk"). Several people compared it to plastic, and — in evidence of just how polarizing Provel is — some described it as a nectar of the gods, while others claimed it's an abomination. Fans of Provel liked eating it on salad (especially in the rope style, which resembles thick ramen noodles) and on cheesy garlic bread.

If you've never had it, St. Louis-style pizza is worth checking out, if only for the novelty or to determine whether you're team Provel or not. You might just have to drive to St. Louis to find it, though.