This Deep-Fried Pizza Will Totally Change the Way You Think About Dough

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What is pizza? With all of the insane new pies taking over New York and claiming to be pizza, it's about time someone set out mouth-first to investigate and ask Really, Dough? Thrillist's new show follows diehard pizza enthusiast Scott Wiener and hardline pizza purist Mark Iacono of Brooklyn's Lucali pizzeria as they find out what makes or breaks the definition of pizza. New episodes of Really Dough? air every Monday at 2pm ET on YouTube, or you can watch all six episodes now on Amazon Prime.

When you hear the words "fried pizza," there's a good chance you immediately imagine a greasy cheese pie wearing a crispy coat of Kentucky-fried crust. But it turns out fried pizza, at least traditional fried pizza, is closer to typical oven-baked pizza than you'd think. But because fried pizza trades a long stay in the oven for a quick dip in the deep frier, can you still technically call it pizza? 

In the latest episode of Thrillist's new show, Really Dough?, host Scott Wiener sets out to see if fried pizza fits within the super-strict definition of pizza established by co-host and noted pizza purist Mark Iacono of Brooklyn's Lucali pizzeria. Mark is a stickler for traditional, wood-fired oven-baked pizza and has already ruled that boundary-pushing pies like ramen pizza, gold pizzadessert pizza, and pizza bagels are simply "not pizza," so Scott isn't exactly sure how he'll react as he heads to Keste in Lower Manhattan to sample some of Chef Roberto Caporuscio's famous Montanara fried pizza.

As Roberto explains, his fried pizza is made by lightly frying regular pizza dough, then topping it with Starita tomato sauce, imported smoked buffalo mozzarella, and basil. He finishes it in a wood-fired oven and the result is a hot and bubbly Neapolitan pizza masterpiece. After one bite, Scott is convinced: it's pizza and there's no questioning that. The fried pizza does, however, challenge what most people (*cough* Mark *cough*) think a pizza should be -- dough that's topped with sauce and cheese, then baked. With that said, it's time for Mark to weigh in over a slice.

Will fried pizza be the first pie on the show to get a "yes" verdict out of Mark? Will he go so far as to say that it is indeed pizza? Check out the full episode (shown above) to find out. 

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Tony Merevick is Senior News Editor at Thrillist. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.