Every time I ask a New Yorker what makes their pizzas and/or deli sandwiches so much better than the pizzas and sandwiches that are served everywhere else in the world, they tell me "it's in da wattah". They then explain that New York City's water supply streams in from northern glaciers and is rich in mineral content which in effect makes their dough much softer and sandwiches much juicier than those served elsewhere. The implication here is it doesn't matter how talented the chefs are or what kind of ingredients they use as long as they aren't in New York City using their magical glacier water. If this is true then perhaps New Yorkers have good reason to brag about their local fare but if it's just a myth, then there's another name for it... "East Coast bias".

Being a New Yorker, i actually have to think this one's true. I'm currently a student in Connecticut, and i can't stand the pizza around here. The reason, though, is very specific. The dough they use to make the pizza comes out more like a bread than a pizza crust. The sauce/cheese/toppings change from restaurant to restaurant, but no pizza place around here can make a good slice. After about 4/5 times of ordering pizza in a year, i simply gave up and wait to get any pizza during breaks. I actually don't notice a difference in deli sandwiches though.

It's just the way the pizza is prepared and cooked. There are as many ways to make pizza as there are chefs, and regional differences abound. You can make New York style, thin-crust pizza in Miami. The problem is, no one will buy it, because they're just as wedded to their own regional variety as New Yorkers are to theirs.

Um, New York City water comes from various sources upstate in New York, NONE of which are anywhere near a glacier. I live in New York, and there are NO glaciers in New York State.

The water sources are around Croton-On-Hudson and other nearby reservoirs. All of these reservoirs are within 100 miles or so of New York City. No glaciers. Just fresh water lakes.

Anyone who tells you about glacier water feeding New York City doesn't have a clue what they're talking about, and should not be taken seriously.

You can find fantastic examples of any regional variety of pizza in said regional variety. That said, NY style Pizza is great.. mmmm (and best when from NY)

Chances are the pizza in new york tastes different because of, well, the way they cook it and the chefs for one/two; but how the people get to work.

I'd bet that the majority of people there get to work by Train/Bus/Subway/Cab or walk. If by vehicle, even if they wash their hands, it's quite possible that contaminates from the metal/etc get into the food, or even just pollution from outside seeps into the pizza when it's made. That and/or the water's passing through old or otherwise "different" water lines and contamination gets into it.

I would have to disagree with jlrodgers. NYC has stringent food standards, just like any other major city, and with a city that size, I would doubt they have old, corroded pipes...etc. which effect the pizza. I have heard that NYC has some of the cleanest water in the world, actually. Can anyone back this up?

It's just regional style and tradition that goes into making nyc pizza. All of this translates into nyc pizza vendors doing what they do best.

I'm going to revive this thread because I would love to see this tested and confirmed once and for all. It's true, the water is the difference in the pizza (and bagels) not the recipe, methods or other factors mentioned on this thread. If you need more have a look at this.

http://www.azcentral.com/thing...090818grimaldis.html

Personally, I would love to see this myth tested and confirmed by the experts.

And how are the Mythbusters culinary experts? This is not a myth, but an opinion. Go to Chicago, they'll tell you Chicago style pizza is the best and that NY style is garbage. So even if the water has something in it that makes the dough a little different, that doesn't mean that's what makes it taste better. I like grits. I've never had decent grits in NY, they are cooked up better in the South. Is it because of the water? No. Best lobster I've ever had was in Belfast, Maine. Best gumbo? Little hole in the wall place in the French Quarter. It comes down to prep, and how long they've been making it. Experience.