Mathematician Dr Eugenia Cheng has developed a formula for the perfect pizza slice and it all boils down to the crust.
Based in the University of Sheffield, she determined a direct correlation between the size of a pizza and the experience of eating it. According to Cheng, a larger pie results in a more sparse distribution of toppings with fewer pieces of pepperoni, sausage, or anchovies in each bite, while a smaller pie contains more toppings and more flavor with each mouthful.
Cheng said it shows how much more pizza dough is wasted around the edge on a smaller pizza. “The bites in the middle will have too much topping, while the bites around the outside will have too little”. The uneven distribution of dough means a medium pizza will have a thicker crust, resulting in less space for toppings, and a base that turns soggy faster under the weight of sauce and toppings.
UK pizza chain PizzaExpress was prompted to add 15 grams of dough to its master recipe following Cheng’s findings. The company had approached Cheng to find out why its 14-inch pies were outselling its classic 11-inch ones, and the findings backed up consumer preferences for thinner, crispier crusts and more evenly distributed toppings.
However, Cheng insists there is no formula for great pizza due to its irrational nature and wide variety of toppings that can yield unexpected results.
[via Fast Company, images via Shutterstock]