There are so many styles of pizza—with so many variables—it’s tough to keep them all straight. Here’s a primer on the biggies.

Chicago thin

An almost cracker-like crust topped with smooth and sweet tomato sauce, cut into a grid of squares, a.k.a. “party cut” or “tavern cut”

Deep dish

Heavy, knife-and-fork pie made with a cornmeal-like crust that has risen high on the sides of a buttery, deep pan; chunky canned tomato sauce on top

Neapolitan

Small, thin-crust, made in a wood-burning oven with a puffy cornicione (end crust); most often the legendary Margherita (fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil, San Marzano tomato sauce)

New Haven

Oblong, hand-formed apizza (pronounced “ah-beets”) with a very crisp crust; cooked in a coal or gas oven and often served on a sheet of wax paper atop a cafeteria tray

New York

Thin, chewy, with floppy and foldable slices; generally made from high-gluten flour and usually baked in a hearth or deck oven

Quad Cities

Malty, golden crust blanketed with a thick layer of mozzarella and ground fennel-flecked sausage, bisected and then cut with scissors several times to create long rectangular strips

Thin

Not quite Neapolitan, not quite Chicago-thin—a catch-all term