To some pizza is synonymous with cheese. When we order a pizza, we are waiting to see the string of melty, stretchy cheese as it pulls away from the pie. But, believe it or not, some people love to get cheese-less pizza.
The Argument for Cheese-less Pizza
The arguments rooting for cheese-less pizza make sense. Some people are vegan and don’t eat cheese, others are lactose intolerant and shouldn’t eat cheese, and so on. We’re living in a modern world where pizza can be customized to fit everyone's needs.
The Original Cheese-less Pizza
Trends and hipsters are not to blame for the cheese-less pizza. In fact, most of the cheese-less pizza eaters weren’t even on the horizon when it was invented.
Behold, the pizza marinara, a Neapolitan pizza prepared with plain marinara sauce, seasoned with oregano and garlic. Although, pizza marinara was very similar to its cousin the pizza “Margherita.” The only difference? The pizza marinara had no cheese.
The pizza marinara came to the world in 1735, almost 300 years ago. Pizza makers prepared the marinara sauce with olive oil, basil, oregano, garlic, and cherry tomatoes. That was it, cheese was never sprinkled over the sauce to create pizza as we all know and love.
Thanks to the easiness of keeping its ingredients fresh, the pizza marinara made its way to the ships and was highly famous among poor sailors of the time.
The Bottom Line
Yes, cheese-less pizza is a thing, whether we want to accept it or not. We are not sure if you’re able to order a cheese-less pizza at your local pizza place. But, we’re sure you can give it your best at home; after all, we’ve shared some pizza making secrets with you in the past.
However, here at Hungry Howie’s®, this whole cheese-less pizza discussion sparked a debate, and we can’t seem to all agree on an answer. So, we are turning the question to you: can cheese-less pizza still be considered pizza? Or a round-shaped dough without pizza is just that… dough?
Those who enjoy pizza without cheese are also our friends, who are we to judge? Share with your friends and see who is on team pizza with cheese and who is on team cheese-less pizza. We really hope pizza with cheese wins.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_marinara
https://www.godairyfree.org/news/nutrition-headlines/5-reasons-to-choose-cheese-less-pizza