Proposal: A Definition for Focaccia and Pizza
Hello TFLers!
Pizza and Focaccia are both subjects near and dear to me. I have seen so very many arguments arise from the subject of how to discern one from the other, and I don't like to see my fellow TFLers consumed by the fires of wrath. We are a community, after all, and a community we shall remain forever after. If you would all be so kind as to follow along with me on this journey...
I would like to be able to claim some fair amount of impartiality in this decision, and so if you will allow me, I will open with my qualifications.
I state for posterity that I am a proud and very happy mutt, being of Mediterranean and Scandinavian descent. I believe that the Mediterranean predeliction toward passion and exuberance in all things, combined with the Scandinavian predeliction toward dispassionate objectivity, provides a somewhat rare qualification for this decision. I am passionate about food to the point that I will make a stubborn stand on where to have dinner on any given night. When I state that "bread is the staff of life" I mean that bread is that from which life itself flows. Humanity is as nothing without our ability to process food, to turn raw, edible materials into readily-accessible nutrients. Without bread, our species would be simply one among countless thousands.
My passion and background firmly established, the conclusion follows.
The difference between pizza and focaccia is twofold:
One! It is a difference in toppings. A pizza's toppings must cover all or a vast majority of the bread's surface area. A crust may be visible and readily available for gripping. The crust may be foregone in the event that the toppings are thick enough to render a crust redundant, as in the case of a "Chicago-style" pizza. A focaccia, therefore, will have the lower layer of bread readily and amply visible through its toppings, regardless of the nature of toppings or the formula from which the bread itself has been constructed.
Two! It is a difference in width. A pizza's inner crust (that portion of crust which is covered with toppings) must not ever exceed 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) in width. The focaccia, therefore, will have an inner crust with a width equal to (or nearly so) or greater than that of the outer crust (that portion of crust which is not covered with toppings).
Thank you for your time, I love you all.