What Makes Pizza Pizza

Pizza is often defined by toppings. Cheese. Sauce. Ingredients. <break time="0.8s" />

But historically and technically, pizza is defined by structure, not garnish.

Pizza is defined by three core elements: <break time="0.5s" /> Leavened dough. A flattened shape. Baking at very high

temperature. <break time="0.8s" /> If these conditions are met, the result is pizza. Cheese is not a

defining requirement. Tomato sauce is not a defining requirement. Toppings are additions, not identity. <break time="0.8s" />

Removing an addition does not remove the category. Dough with tomato sauce only

is still pizza. <break time="0.8s" /> Pizza Marinara is one of the oldest traditional pizzas. It contains no cheese. <break time="0.8s" />

Its existence proves that cheese is optional. Dough without tomato sauce is also still pizza. <break time="0.8s" />