Why Philadelphians Love Tomato Pie | Legendary Eats

Tomato pie is a beloved specialty of Philadelphia. It resembles pizza, though Philadelphians know it to be different. In the early 1900s, bread bakers would take leftover bread and top it with “gravy” (red sauce) and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese to save the dough from going to waste. The dish is ubiquitous in Philadelphia today, with many bakeries, like Sarcone’s Bakery in South Philly, serving it either hot from the oven or at room temperature. Insider’s Taryn Varricchio headed to Sarcone’s to learn why Philadelphians treasure tomato pie.

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Why Philadelphians Love Tomato Pie | Legendary Eats

[jaysonburgerson]

Man, just wait til they discover mozzarella cheese

[terminallyelleofficial]

Starter-tomato pie
Main-Cheeseless pizza
Dessert-fruit toast

3 different ways to say the same thing😂

[MusicIslife-nngn]

Bread dough + tomato sauce.
“It doesn’t get better than this.”
I’m pretty sure there are way better things out there sir. Calm down.

[Passionforfoodrecipes]

You're not fooling me, you ran out of cheese again didn't you Philly ?! Did you put it all on the Cheesesteaks?!

[fmart]

Places will do almost anything to have some kind of ‘unique’ attraction. People will put sauce on a sandal and be like “It’s the best thing ever and it’s even better than New Yawk’s....and if you’re a local, you’ve been eating it ya whole life...”

Narrator (who usually has an British accent): “local shop, Santangelo’s, has been putting their secret sauce on sandals in Omaha for over 700 years...what’s their secret? They wouldn’t say...”

[yourewrong]

Honestly to me a I’ll eat it if the sauce is good and the dough is on point. Those two are what makes a pizza good

[aeroJR]

Just remove all the toppings and cheese from a pizza and you got your tomato pie.

[b.lasher]

Anyone dissing the Tomato Pie, clearly has never had it 😂💯

[colleendurkan]

I did not know tomato pie was regional I’ve been eating it my whole life

[yummyland]

It looks like pizza but it doesn't look like pizza! 😋

[treatsandtravels]

In Italy we ate tomato bread daily,
This does look good 🍅

[SwIRvski]

This is not tomato pie but it’s a cool Sicilian dish. Real tomato pie uses tomato slices (and is an actual pie) we eat it in the southern US

[istolethemuffin]

It really reminds me of a lovechild between a bruschetta and a very tomatoy pizza marinara alla pala, so it must be delicious. I wish I could have a taste, some day. :)

[simonhu]

"It's not pizza"
Meanwhile, a guy takes a whole pie out of the store in a pizza box....

[krisreedful]

They should try putting mozzarella cheese on top before it goes in the oven!

[jamielancaster]

I’ll stick with the Philly Cheesesteak thank you!

[mediocrebanters]

The "Tomato Pie" is originally made from old unsold garlic bread loaves where they are brushed with olive oil, then topped with left over marinara + old crumbling flakes of parmigiana. Sometimes they are actually topped with other left over stuff from the kitchen. It's the Italian restaurant version of what the Chinese did with _chop suey._

[ChrisBelmont]

I might be from MD, but god damn I love tomato pie. My dad sometimes goes to Philly for work, and he brings giant boxes full of it. For those wondering though, it might look like pizza, which it is, but the texture and taste is different. The sauce is sweet unlike normal pizza while still not being overbearingly sweet. The cheese on it is hardly noticeable, but adds to the taste nonetheless. Don’t knock it till you try it, it’s actually amazing

[Curling_Rack]

toast slice bread with spaghetti sauce?

[thebasketballhistorian]

"It doesn't get any better than this!"

Mmm... it does. It's called "pizza".

lol