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Pie

English

The standard American term for a whole pizza — 'a large pie', 'a pie to go'. It survives from 'pizza pie', an early-20th-century English gloss that explained an unfamiliar Italian word using a familiar English one. In several older regional traditions the pizza is still called only a pie, as in Trenton and Philadelphia tomato pie.

Literal meaning

A filled pastry dish

Region

United States

Also known as

pizza pie, whole pie

Common misuse

Reading 'tomato pie' as a mistake for pizza. In Trenton, Philadelphia and Utica it is the correct local name for a specific, distinct dish.

Related

Evidence

Strongly supported
  • American Pie: My Search for the Perfect PizzaTen Speed Press