Randy Chandler
Pizza is a Neapolitan dish that typically consists of a flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high temperature. The term cheese pizza usually refers to a pizza with lots of cheese. However, the phrase cheese pizza has also been used in a conspiracy theory related to Podesta's emails, where it is claimed to be code for something more sinister.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Conspiracy theory | Refers to child pornography |
| Pizza | Flatbread with cheese and other toppings |
| Cheese | Mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, Parmesan, Emmental, pecorino romano, ricotta, analogue cheese, etc. |
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What You'll Learn
Pizza cheese production
Pizza cheese is a term used to refer to several varieties and types of cheeses and dairy products that are designed and manufactured for use on pizzas. This includes processed and modified cheese, such as mozzarella-like processed cheeses and mozzarella variants. The term can also refer to any type of cheese suitable for use on pizza.
The most popular cheeses used in the preparation of pizza are mozzarella (accounting for about 30%), provolone, cheddar, and Parmesan. However, globally, mozzarella is the most popular pizza cheese. Mozzarella was first manufactured in dairy factories in the Midwestern United States and was originally called "pizza cheese". It has a lower moisture content than standard mozzarella, resulting in a firmer texture, better browning and melting characteristics, and reduced perishability. Provolone is the second most popular pizza cheese, and cheddar may be mixed with mozzarella to preserve chewiness. Grated Parmesan is also commonly added to the top of pizzas, although it does not melt well when cooked.
Other pizza cheeses include Emmental, pecorino romano, and ricotta, which are often used as toppings. Detroit-style pizza is known for its use of Wisconsin brick cheese, and calzones often contain ricotta. Processed pizza cheese is manufactured to produce optimal qualities in browning, melting, stretchiness, and fat and moisture content. Several studies and experiments have been conducted to analyze the impact of vegetable oil, manufacturing and culture processes, denatured whey proteins, and other changes to create ideal pizza cheese.
In addition to traditional cheese, analogue pizza cheese, or cheese substitutes, are also commonly used on mass-produced pizzas in North America and the United Kingdom. These products are designed to melt well, remain chewy, and be quicker and cheaper to produce than real cheese. They are often made with vegetable proteins, such as peanut protein or soybean, instead of milk protein and milk fat. Analogue pizza cheese may be formulated for processing with less sophisticated cheese-making equipment, using simple mixing and molding techniques. They tend to have a soft texture and a slightly "stringy" quality when melted.
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Pizza cheese types
Pizza cheese is a broad term that refers to several varieties and types of cheeses and dairy products that are specifically designed for use on pizzas. These include processed and modified cheese, such as mozzarella-like processed cheeses, mozzarella variants, and other analogue cheeses.
Mozzarella is the most popular pizza cheese globally, with its mild, creamy flavour and perfect meltability. It is known for creating that iconic stretchy, gooey layer that pizza lovers crave. However, in the United States, it is estimated that only 30% of all pizza cheese used is actual mozzarella. This is because other types of cheese are often mixed with mozzarella to improve its characteristics. For example, a combination of mozzarella and cheddar may blister less when cooked compared to other cheese combinations, as mozzarella and provolone may brown less.
Provolone is the second most popular pizza cheese and is often blended with mozzarella to add depth to the flavour profile without overpowering the other ingredients. It has a slightly sharper and more complex flavour and its semi-hard texture melts beautifully, creating a creamy consistency with a hint of tanginess.
Cheddar is another popular pizza cheese that adds a burst of personality to pizzas with its sharp, tangy flavour and firm texture. It doesn't melt as smoothly as mozzarella, but it brings a delightful bite and pairs wonderfully with other cheeses and toppings. It can also be mixed with mozzarella to preserve chewiness.
Other types of cheese used on pizzas include Parmesan, which is often grated and added as a topping, although it does not melt well when cooked. Detroit-style pizza is known for using Wisconsin brick cheese, while ricotta is commonly used for calzones or as a topping.
To improve the functionality of pizza cheese, manufacturers have conducted studies and experiments to optimise characteristics such as stretchiness, melting, browning, fat content, and water retention. As a result, analogue pizza cheeses have been developed, which are quicker and cheaper to produce than real cheese and are designed to melt well and remain chewy. These analogue cheeses are used on many mass-produced pizzas in North America and the United Kingdom, with three-quarters of the 700 million frozen pizzas sold in the United States containing cheese substitutes.
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Podesta's emails
In 2016, during the United States presidential election cycle, the conspiracy theory "Pizzagate" went viral. It falsely claimed that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) had discovered a pedophilia ring linked to members of the Democratic Party while searching through emails. The conspiracy theory was spread by Michael Flynn, a close supporter of Donald Trump, who later became his National Security Advisor. Flynn's tweets alleged that John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, drank human blood and bodily fluids in Satanic rituals.
In March 2016, Podesta's personal email account was hacked in a spear-phishing attack, and his emails were published by WikiLeaks in November 2016. Conspiracy theorists claimed that the emails contained coded messages that connected several high-ranking Democratic Party officials and U.S. restaurants with an alleged human trafficking and child sex ring. One of the establishments allegedly involved was the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington, D.C.
Conspiracy theorists sought to find hidden meanings in the Podesta emails, which were described as banal and uninteresting. They looked for references to "pizza", believing it to be code for something more sinister. However, there were no references to "cheese pizza" in the Podesta emails. Despite this, the conspiracy theory spread on social media, with over one million messages using the hashtag #Pizzagate on Twitter in November 2016.
Pizzagate has been extensively discredited by a wide range of organizations, including the Washington, D.C. police. The owner of Comet Ping Pong, James Alefantis, referred to the conspiracy theory as "an insanely complicated, made-up, fictional lie-based story" and a "coordinated political attack". Syndicated columnist Daniel Ruth also dismissed the allegations as "dangerous and damaging fake allegations".
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Pizza history
Pizza is an Italian dish with a flat dough-based base and toppings. The history of pizza dates back to ancient times, with various ancient cultures producing flatbreads with several toppings. For example, in the 6th century BCE, Persian soldiers serving under Darius the Great baked flatbreads with cheese and dates on top of their battle shields. In ancient Greece, citizens made a flatbread called plakous, which was flavoured with toppings such as herbs, onion, cheese, and garlic. Another term for this type of flatbread was placentae, which were pastries made of flour, cheese, oil, and honey.
Modern pizza evolved from similar flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy, between the 16th and mid-18th centuries. The word "pizza" was first documented in 997 CE in Gaeta and then in other parts of central and southern Italy. The Etymological Dictionary of the Italian Language explains the word "pizza" as coming from the dialectal "pinza", meaning "clamp", as in modern Italian "pinze", meaning "pliers, pincers, tongs, forceps". Its origin is from the Latin "pinsere", meaning "to pound, stamp".
Pizza was often a dish consumed by the poor of Naples, who added tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies, and garlic to their yeast-based flatbread. In 1807, there were 54 pizzerias in Naples, and by the second half of the 19th century, this number had increased to 120. Pizza began to gain popularity in Italy and beyond after Queen Margherita and King Umberto I visited Naples in 1889 and sampled an assortment of pizzas. The variety enjoyed most by Queen Margherita was called pizza mozzarella, topped with soft white cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil—perhaps coincidentally reflecting the colours of the Italian flag.
Pizza also gained popularity in the United States due to Italian immigrants who arrived between 1880 and 1920, bringing their culinary traditions with them. One of the first documented pizzerias in the United States was G. (for Gennaro) Lombardi's on Spring Street in Manhattan, licensed to sell pizza in 1905. As Italian Americans migrated across the country, especially after World War II, pizza's popularity in the United States boomed. It was no longer seen as an "ethnic" treat but as fast, fun food.
Today, pizza is enjoyed worldwide, with global pizza toppings reflecting local tastes, such as Gouda cheese in Curaçao and hard-boiled eggs in Brazil.
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Pizza cheese experimentation
One notable aspect of pizza cheese experimentation is the development of analogue or substitute cheeses. These cheese-like products are designed to melt well, retain chewiness, and mimic the desired characteristics of traditional pizza cheese while being quicker and cheaper to produce. Analogue cheeses are often used in mass-produced pizzas and frozen pizzas, where consistency, shelf life, and cost are important factors. They are formulated to be produced with less specialised equipment, making them a convenient and economical choice for large-scale pizza production.
Mozzarella, a soft spun-curd cheese made from cow's milk, is the most popular pizza cheese globally. However, variations and substitutes are common. In the United States, it is estimated that only 30% of all pizza cheese used is actual mozzarella, with the rest being a mix of other cheeses or analogue products. Provolone, cheddar, and Parmesan are also commonly used, either alone or in combination with mozzarella, to create different flavour profiles and textural characteristics.
The experimentation with pizza cheese also extends to the type of milk used. While traditional mozzarella is made with milk from water buffalo, mass-market pizzas often use cheeses made with cow's milk, which is more readily available and economical. Additionally, the fat and moisture content of the cheese can be manipulated to create low-moisture mozzarella specifically formulated for pizza, ensuring that the cheese browns and melts optimally during baking.
The quest for the perfect pizza cheese continues to drive innovation and experimentation in the food industry. With pizza being one of the most popular foods in the world, finding the right balance of taste, texture, and cost is an ongoing pursuit for pizza enthusiasts, chefs, and food scientists alike.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheese pizza refers to a pizza with lots of cheese.
Popular types of cheese used on pizzas include mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, parmesan, emmental, pecorino romano, and ricotta.
Analogue pizza cheese is a pasteurized and processed cheese-like product that is designed to melt well and remain chewy. It is often used on mass-produced pizzas as it is cheaper and quicker to produce than real cheese.
Pizza is an Italian dish that originated in Naples and typically consists of a flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients. The term pizza was first recorded in 997 AD in a Latin manuscript from southern Italy, and modern pizza is often credited to Raffaele Esposito in Naples.
The term "cheese pizza" became associated with conspiracy theories due to its mention in the Podesta emails, which were reportedly hacked and leaked during the 2016 U.S. election. Some people sought hidden meanings and interpreted "cheese pizza" as code for something more significant than its literal meaning.
