pineapple on pizza: history and controversy

     In some way or another, we all know about this highly controversial pizza topping: Pineapple. One of the most well known pizzas containing it is Hawaiian pizza, topped with pineapple, of course , and Canadian bacon or ham. Throughout the years, it has been heavily debated whether pineapple belongs on pizza, and if things such as Hawaiian pizza are good. Some people love it, others hate it, and some don’t have much of an opinion of it. In this article, I’ll be going over some opinions on pineapple as a pizza topping and the history of Hawaiian pizza.

On one side of the debate, we have those who dislike and or hate pineapple on pizza. Amain claim of theirs is that pineapple doesn’t belong on it because it’s a fruit. They want to keep pizza traditional, topped with meat and vegetables, because why would you put fruit, other than tomatoes, on pizza? If grapes and strawberries don’t belong on and don’t get put on pizza, why should pineapple? In their eyes it doesn’t work, and isn’t right. Another reason they dislike it is the flavor, texture, and eating experience in general. Some may find that the acidity of the tomato sauce and pineapple doesn’t work, and the pineapple and cheese definitely don’t go together. Some may find that the texture is all juicy and messy and all wrong, and the pineapple flavor dominates too much and overpowers the others. Others will agree with all of these and maybe more. Either way, pineapple on pizza haters don’t think fruit should be on pizza, and that it just isn’t tasty.

On the other side of the debate, we have those who like and or love pineapple on pizza. They don’t mind

that it’s not the norm, because even though pineapple is a fruit it works, decidedly unlike strawberries and grapes. They think it’s good and they’ll stand by it. The salty and savory with the tangy and sweet contrast in a way that makes them complement one another and balance each other out. The light, refreshing, juicy and sweet pop of pineapple stands out in a way nothing else does. Pineapple on pizza lovers think it’s delicious, and don’t mind that it’s unusual because of it.

Now, I just want to take a second to share with you the Icelandic Pineapple Pizza Incident. In 2017, Gudni Thoilacius Johannesson, president of Iceland, had joked with some students saying he would ban pineapple on pizza if he could. This, of course, ignited a raging debate between the two sides. As a result of this, Hawaiian pizzas were sent to the Icelandic Embassy in London, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter and said, "I have a pineapple. I have a pizza. And I stand behind this delicious Southwestern Ontario creation. #TeamPineapple." Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is also a pineapple on pizza supporter, having one said on an instagram caption, “As for my pizza toppings - keep in mind, I'm the guy who likes to put tequila and brown sugar in my oatmeal, so pineapple on pizza is MY JAM—with ham.” Whereas Gordon Ramsey is a confirmed pineapple on pizza hater who has said on twitter, “Pineapple does not go on top of pizza.”

You may be wondering where this unique and downright strange food combination came from, and who on earth would come up with such an idea in the first place. In 1962, Greek immigrant Sotirios "Sam"

Panopoulos, who immigrated to Canada in 1954, started selling Hawaiian pizza in his restaurant. His

restaurant was named Satellite, and was located in Chatham ON, Canada. The food sold there was mostly traditional American, such as burgers and fries, but he later started experimenting with more popular and trendy things, such as Chinese American fusions. During that time Hawaiian things, such as canned pineapple, were also popular and or trendy. Therefore he tried it out, and the Hawaiian pizza was born, named appropriately from the Hawaiian canned pineapple used. “We just put it on, just for the fun of it, see how it was going to taste,” and “We were young in the business and we were doing a lot of experiments.” said Sam to the BBC in 2017. He and his siblings had liked the combination of the pineapple, ham, and everything else on there, finding the savory-sweet contrast enjoyable.

Whether you like pineapple on pizza or not, you have probably heard of it before, and definitely have now that you’ve read this. It all started with a Greek immigrant experimenting with different things at his restaurant, who has enjoyed the salty and sweet combination of the toppings. Pizza lovers today love it for the same reason, and the haters hate it for having fruit other than tomatoes and a flavor they dislike. You may sympathize with one or the other, or perhaps you are indifferent. Either way, you know a little more now, and perhaps understand the other side a little bit better.