Cycle 15 – Item 319

19 (Tue) November 2024

Cheese Pizza [Sfincione]

2.5

at SFS Elementary Cafeteria

-Yeonhi, Seodaemun, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with dbBOOKS staff

SFS Winter Book Fair, Day 1 of 3.

Sfincione is an Italian dish.  A type of pizza characterized by its thick, fluffy crust – the derives from the Latin for “sponge” – baked in a rectangular pan, and cut into square pieces.  Originating from Sicily, it’s often referred to outside of Italy as “Sicilian pizza,” even while Sicily offers many variations of pizza, not just sfincione.

When I was at Columbia University, most pizzerias in the neighborhood had Sicilian pizza.  Topped with only tomato sauce + cheese, to which other toppings could be added at additional cost.  I recall thinking that they offered better value, because of the thicker crust.

The last time that I encountered sfincione was in Geneva, where it was referred to as “panizza” (see 9.054 Mana à la Manor).

At SFS, the sfincione was good.  The crust was slightly crisp on the bottom, fluffy in the middle.  The sauce was aggressively seasoned, tasting very American, in contrast to typical localized formulations, which tend to be relatively bland.  The cheese was whatever.  A nice simple treat overall.

Once again, I am very impressed with the creative food options at SFS, even in the elementary school cafeteria.  Also intrigued to how the idea to serve sfincione had come about, as this style of pizza doesn’t exist in Korea – perhaps from the same person who had suggested the smashburger (see generally 14.309 Jalapeño Cheddar Double Smash Burger).  This is why SFS remains at the top of international schools where I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to dine.

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