What Connecticut pizza term is pronounced ah-beetz?

The Connecticut pizza term pronounced “ah-beetz” is apizza.

Apizza is the local name for New Haven-style pizza, a thin-crust, coal-fired style associated with New Haven, Connecticut. The word comes from the Neapolitan expression “a pizza,” reflecting the city’s Italian immigrant influence and the connection between New Haven pizza and Neapolitan traditions.

The style is known for a thin, chewy crust with distinctive char, an often oblong shape, and restrained use of melting cheese. A classic plain pie may contain crust, tomato sauce, oregano, and grated pecorino Romano; mozzarella is optional rather than automatic. This is why a plain New Haven pie may look different from a typical cheese pizza.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana is credited with originating the style in 1925. Sally’s Apizza and Modern Apizza are also closely associated with it. Apizza is not the name of a separate topping or unrelated Italian dish; it is the regional term for the pizza itself.