Walk into Via Roma in Camp Springs, Maryland, and you might think you’re in a pizzeria. The ovular pies coming out of the oven certainly look like pizzas. They’re not – they’re pinsas. The difference lies in the crust, which manages to be crispy on the bottom and bubbly soft on top. Though the pizza-adjacent dish is popular in Italy, it’s only started showing up in the States over the last few years.

The newness and novelty were part of the appeal for owner Biagio Cepollaro. “We didn’t want to do yet another Neapolitan pizzeria,” Cepollaro says. The original recipe for pinsa was devised during the Roman Empire, taking its name from the Latin word “pinsere,” meaning “to crush.” Rather than tossing the dough up in the air or rolling it out, it’s pressed flat using one’s fingers.