I’ve lived in Philly for over half a year now. It’s been just enough time to take in the city’s quirks, like the most famous landmarks, hectic parking rules and famed cheesesteaks. However, I’ve also noticed local delicacies outside of the city’s signature sandwich—mainly, tomato pie.
I saw my first tomato pie at ReAnimator Coffee, a local coffee chain with a branch near my apartment. At the time, I thought it was a pizza. The shop had the pies sitting next to the pastries and sandwiches on the shelves, ready to be sold at room temperature. They were shaped like the rectangular specialty slices I’d seen sold at shops around my hometown in New Jersey. In this case, they featured a generous layer of tomato gravy (as it’s called in these parts) with fresh sliced garlic and finely grated cheese dusted on top.
It could’ve easily been some kind of margherita pizza variant I didn’t know about. It was only when I kept seeing similar-looking pies outside of pizza parlors that I started to suspect it was its own thing. The bread evokes memories of Chicago deep dish with its similarly shaped slices. However, tomato pies have small differences that set it apart from proper pizzas.
To be fair, pizza is in the tomato pie’s DNA. According to Eater, tomato pies originated from Sicily, Italy, from where many immigrants moved to the United States and settled in the Philadelphia area. These Italians brought their heritage with them, including their boxy pizzas decorated with tomato sauce and vegetables. Many times, they will forgo cheese. If there is any, it will probably be grated Romano or Parmesan.
Tomato pies are similar to these Sicilian pizzas. However, a proper pie is supposed to be more of a cross between focaccia and pizza. Another type of Italian bread similar to that you’d find in a pizza, focaccia is thick, heavily seasoned bread that is often sold as an appetizer or used for sandwiches. An ideal tomato pie has a similarly thick crust lightly coated with oil and generously seasoned with Italian spices, so it doesn’t rely on the sauce as the only source of flavor.
Tomato pie is also apparently frequently sold in South Jersey. As someone who grew up in North Jersey (or what I would properly call Central Jersey), I’d never seen it until I moved to Philly, so I can’t confirm or deny how common it is in comparison. It’s just more noticeable as a local delicacy inside the Pennsylvanian capital than around the area where I grew up. Similar variants pop up in neighboring northeastern states like Delaware and Rhode Island too.
Luckily, ReAnimator’s tomato pies taste just as good as they look. Their tomato pie flaunted a thick, fluffy crust topped with flavorful sauce that was enhanced with garlic and a snowy dusting of cheese. It was soft on the inside but had some bite to the top layer and edges, especially because of the crust. I could’ve chosen to have a center slice without any crust if I wanted, much like one might choose the middle piece in a batch of brownies if they only wanted the softest, chewiest parts of the pastry. I liked the extra crunch, though.
If you ever find the tomato pie at a local Philly cafe or deli, take a look at the crust. If it looks chock full of herbs and chunky tomato gravy, I’d suggest you give it a try. Bonus points for a light topping of vegetables or cheese. You might find it a pizza variant worth appreciating.