These are the differences between pizza and tarte flambée

A firm dough baked in the oven with a spicy topping: few people can say no to that. Are you thinking about Italian pizza? Or rather the tarte flambée from Alsace? The fact is that the basic principle of both popular pastries is similar. Nevertheless, there are enormous differences between pizza and tarte flambée. We will show you the differences.

Did you know? This is the difference between pizza and tarte flambée

First: the two pasta dishes do have one thing in common. They are traditionally baked for a short time in a very hot wood-fired oven. But that’s the only thing they have in common.

Difference #1: Origin

As we all know, pizza comes from the home of La Dolce Vita: Italy. The first top pizza was first baked in the middle of the 18th century. The topping is also similar to what we know today: tomato slices, olive oil and basil or oregano. Earlier forerunners came from Apulia, Liguria and Calabria.

The origin of the Flammkuchen, on the other hand, is in Alsace, although the Palatinate and Baden also list it as a specialty due to the geographical proximity. Unlike pizza, tarte flambée is still quite young; it was first baked 200 years ago. The fact that it developed into a delicacy was rather accidental. Back then it was supposed to check if the oven already had the required temperature for baking bread. So it was tested with a thin piece of dough. The rest is history!

Difference #2: The dough

Now for the core: The main difference is in the dough. Tarte flambée consists of oil, flour, water and salt, i.e. an oil dough. Due to the fact that little or no fermentation aid is added to the dough, the tarte flambée remains nice and thin, crispy and airy. Biting into a crispy tarte flambée is simply incomparable!

In the Italian counterpart, on the other hand, yeast is added to the dough, which ensures that it doubles in volume and rises in the oven. The long resting time makes the pizza as elastic and fluffy as it is loved and enjoyed.

Difference #3: The floor

The base of a pizza is traditionally rossa, i.e. red. Tomatoes have been indispensable since their introduction in Italy, and the same goes for pizza. There are also white bases, i.e. without tomato sauce, but a classic pizza has a tomato base.

However, the popular fruit vegetables have no place on a traditional tarte flambée. The basis for this is and remains a cream made from sour cream.

Difference #4 The topping

Finally, it’s about the floor. Since the tarte flambée is very thin anyway, it should not be overloaded with toppings, otherwise it will become soggy. Bacon and onions proved to be a classic here. There is no trace of gratin cheese here, although of course there are exceptions to the countless variants of tarte flambee toppings available these days. But as a general rule, less is more!

However, the same motto does not apply to the pizza. Even if there are minimalist varieties like marinara or margherita: The beauty of pizza is the variety of toppings you can choose from!

Pizza or Flammkuchen – why not both?

As you can see, both specialties have their own charm. So there is no need to be spoiled for choice here. With our basic recipe for original Neapolitan pizza dough and Alsatian tarte flambée, you can add two absolute classics to your baking repertoire.

By the way, we have also compiled our best pizza recipes for you in our picture gallery. Just click through:

You can find more pizza and tarte flambée recipes in our extensive recipe collections.

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