Square Or Triangular Pizza Slices: Which Are Better?
To truly understand the debate between square and triangle-cut pizza slices, one must first delve into the origination of square slices. Like most food origin stories, it's tough to pin down the exact details. However, it's well known that Sicilian-style pizza is baked in rectangular-shaped cookware, and it makes sense that a rectangular pie would be cut into square shapes.
However, round pizzas can also be cut into squares, a practice that is often attributed to Chicago, best known for its stacked deep-dish pizzas. A similar style can be found in many Detroit eateries, as well as pizza shops throughout New York and New Jersey. However, pizza purists are often reluctant to give square-cut slices their due. Whether it's out of a reverence for tradition, or due to complaints about portions and serving sizes, it seems that everyone has an opinion about the shape of their pizza slices. And for some people, square is the only acceptable shape for a slice.
The case for square-cut pizza slices
While square-cut pizza is not as common in all regions of the country, the style certainly has quite a few fans. Proponents of this style of pizza highlight that cutting pizzas into squares allows for the enjoyment of the crusty outside pieces. Unlike triangle cuts, square slices offer a better pizza-to-crust ratio, meaning that individual slices are better balanced when it comes to portions. Of course, not every pizza lover is swayed by this argument.
Along with the crusty goodness of a square slice, you also have to contend with the "orphan" pieces resting in the middle. These are the slices without any crust at all. Instead, they're composed of cheese, sauce, toppings, and bread, and have a propensity to get soggy as they rest in the box, watching their crispy brethren get swooped up first. Triangle cuts get soggy too, but the sogginess is usually relegated to the tip of the pizza, as opposed to full pieces. While a solution to pizza sogginess has yet to be proposed, many people consider triangle-cut pies to be the more reliable choice.
Why the triangle-cut is so ubiquitous
Cutting pizza slices into triangles is a tried-and-true tradition, one that has basic geometric principles to thank for its impressive simplicity. Unlike square-cut slices, triangle cuts assure that every slice is of uniform shape and size. Uniformity is key when sharing your pizza with others, as it's generally easier to serve your friends and family equal portions when pizza is sliced into triangles. While it's true that some pizza shops play it fast and loose when it comes to the sizes of slices, you can usually expect balanced portions with this method.
Also, consider the pizza shop staff that are lovingly creating your tasty pizza pie. In most cases, it's far more efficient to slice a pie using the rolling pizza cutter than to carve out a bunch of square pieces. Greater efficiency means more pizza shops can accommodate more customers, while customers can look forward to timely deliveries after placing an order. Square vs. triangle-cut pizza is largely a matter of personal preference, with each side offering some impassioned arguments on why their preference is the best.