Soviet pizza was thick, juicy and looked more like an open pie with lots of fillings on top.
Legion MediaItalian pizza is one of the dishes that was adapted by Soviet chefs and then remade according to their own interpretation. Our beloved Soviet pizza was thick, juicy, the size of a small plate, with chicken, mushrooms, spicy cheese, and tomato sauce.
The first pizzas appeared in restaurants in Moscow and other large cities just before the 1980 Olympics. The Soviet Union needed restaurants with modern food that wouldn’t be embarrassing to show to foreign guests.
Some Muscovites will recall with nostalgia a pizzeria with "Italian” dishes and red-and-white checkered tablecloths that opened in the city downtown on Gorky Street (today Tverskaya Street). In addition to pizza and pasta, the place also served Lambrusco sparkling wine, which wasn’t sold anywhere else.
Many Soviet citizens, however, had their first try at pizza not in Moscow, but rather, in the resort cities of the USSR - in Sochi, Yalta, and Simferopol, especially in cafes near the beach. This pizza was the most delicious – the fresh toppings included tomatoes, chicken, and mushrooms (a lot!), and spicy cheese mixed with dill and parsley. There always were long queues for such pizza.
Over time, chefs came up with culinary experiments: pizza with ham and egg, with chicken and mushrooms, or with crab sticks. It looked more like an open pie on thick dough.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Soviet pizza easily counted among the top-selling lunches in school canteens because it was delicious, lush, and juicy; and at a reasonable price. Probably every child who lived in the USSR remembers standing in a long queue during lunch break to buy it.
Despite the fact that the USSR had no advertising banners with pizza, and it was impossible to order delivery like we do today, nevertheless, everyone knew what pizza was. Many housewives cooked this exotic foreign dish at home according to their own Soviet-inspired recipes. And today I suggest we try to cook these homemade pizzas ourselves.
1. Heat the water to a temperature of 37-38℃. Pour it into a plate, add sugar and yeast. Stir and leave for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, sift flour, add salt and egg. Gradually pour in the water and yeast. Add sunflower oil.
3. Knead a thick, slightly sticky dough. Cover the bowl with the dough using film wrap or towel, and put it in a warm place for 1-2 hours.
4. Prepare the sauce: mix tomato paste, sour cream, favorite spices (basil, salt, pepper).
5. Now, let's make the filling. Cut the chicken filet into small pieces and fry in a pan with the addition of a small amount of oil. Add salt and pepper, you can also add your favorite spices.
6. Wash the mushrooms and chop them finely.
7. Grate the cheese (I will use mozzarella today) and add dill (I will use dried dill), and then mix. Cut the tomato into thin slices.
8. During this time, the dough will increase in volume two or three times. Before using it, your mass must be well kneaded and divided into equal pieces. My family is small, so four pizzas with a diameter of 18-20 cm will be enough for two of us.
9. Roll out a piece of dough into a fairly thick round tortilla.
10. Put this tortilla on a baking sheet and pierce the dough with a fork.
11. Grease the future pizza liberally with tomato sauce.
12. Put the mushrooms on top, then the chicken.
13. And then the tomatoes.
14. Sprinkle cheese and dill on top.
15. Preheat the oven to a temperature of 200°C; if you’re using an electric oven, then select the top-bottom mode. Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes until the cheese browns and melts.
16. Serve ready-made pizza immediately to the table; it’s good when eaten right away while still hot. Enjoy your meal!
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