Italian tomato pie

Italian tomato pie is a special baked dish enjoyed in Italian-American and Italian-Canadian communities. It is made from a thick, soft dough similar to focaccia, covered with tomato sauce. Sometimes it is sprinkled with Romano cheese or oregano for extra flavor. Unlike many pizzas, it is not usually eaten right out of the oven. Instead, it is often allowed to cool and then eaten at room temperature or gently warmed up.

This type of pie is typically baked in a big rectangular pan and served in square pieces, though in some places like Rhode Island, it is cut into long, thin strips. It has roots in a traditional Italian dish called sfincione, but there are some differences. Sfincione might have many toppings, is usually served hot, and has a crust more like brioche.

One of the earliest mentions of tomato pie appeared in a 1903 article in the New-York Tribune, describing a simple version made just with dough, tomatoes, and a bit of powdered red pepper. Over the years, many families and bakeries have made their own versions, including adding bologna, which was called "salami pie" or bologna pie. Famous spots like Iannelli's Bakery in Philadelphia have been selling tomato pie since 1910, and in Utica, New York, a family began making them in their basement before opening O'Scugnizzo's Pizzeria in 1914.

Regional names

United States

In Philadelphia, this dish is called tomato pie, church pie, or gravy pie (referring to tomato sauce).

In Rhode Island, it has many names such as bakery pizza, party pizza, pizza strips, red bread, strip pizza, and red strips. In Utica, it is simply called tomato pie.

Canada

In Hamilton, Ontario, it is known as Roma pizza (named after a bakery), bread pizza, or slab pizza. In Montreal, it is called cold pizza, pizza bread, or tomato pizza.