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Food

This Pizza Chain Is Flying NYC Water to Africa to Make Authentic Dough

Apparently New York tap water has a certain something that just can’t be replicated.
Photo via Flickr user bryan thayer

Alongside the dozens of independently operated Ray's Pizza joints, Famous Famiglia has, over time, become one of the more recognizable New York City pizza spots, with 16 locations scattered across the city. For reference, you may remember when Donald Trump took Sarah Palin to the Times Square Famous Famiglia for a slice back in 2011, and the pair proceeded to eat their pizza with knives and forks to the horror of onlookers.

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Others may recognize the chain from its locations throughout the country in airports and malls. But the newest Famous Famiglia set to open in Ghana will be known not just for being the first in Africa, but also for the fact that all the water used to make its pizza dough will be imported from New York City.

To replicate the real deal, the new Famous Famiglia in Accra, Ghana's capital, will be taking the extreme step of flying in about 100 gallons of NYC water each week, enough to make about 1,000 pies. One of the owners of the new location says that the water, sourced from a reservoir in Sullivan County that feeds NYC's taps, provides a certain je ne sais quoi that just can't be replicated.

READ: This Easy, Perfect Pizza Dough Has Just 5 Ingredients

"I want to make this as authentic possible. I want to have the exact same pizza as in New York City," co-owner Dan Isaacs told the New York Post. "New York City water has a very unique chemical composition and taste to it. I'm a purist. I wouldn't want to do anything less than the original."

Many of the rest of the ingredients, including yeast, will be sourced locally. But there will be more American flair on display at the Accra Famous Famiglia—pizzas will be delivered by a fleet of bad-ass, hell-raising Harley Davidson hogs.

Famous Famiglia already ships NYC water to some of its other foreign locations, including those as near and far as Canada and China. But with the new store, the chain thinks they will be the first to ship New York City water to Africa.

And water is actually part of the bigger picture for the Ghana store—a portion of its proceeds will be donated to the Ghana-based clean water initiative CleanAcwa. We'll throw back a cold glass of NYC's finest to that.