The Genius of Pineapple Pizza

From the mind behind the creation, to the flavor combinations, the use of pineapple as a topping on pizza has served many wonderful purposes and fostered a variety of opinions.

An image of Sam Panopoulos with his creation (Derek Ruttan/Postmedia Network File Photo)

The man pictured above is of none other than Sam Panopoulos, the inventor of Hawaiian pizza and a personal hero of the food world. A Greek born and raised, he decided to move to Canada at the spry young age of 20, and opened an Ontario-based restaurant with is brothers. In 1962, on a day that seemed like any other, Panopoulos made a daring decision that would shock pizza culture for decades to come: He put pineapple bits as a topping on some of his pizzas to attract more customers. Panopoulos was later quoted in 2017 saying, "We just put on, just for the fun of it, see how it was going to taste... We were young in the business and we were doing a lot of experiments" (BBC News). Along with his brothers, he then promptly named his creation Hawaiian pizza after the brand who's canned pineapples they used, and thus giving birth to a generational debate about pizza toppings.

The contrasting sweet and savory nature of pineapple on pizza was a huge success and led to restaurants creating an assortment of different ethnic pizzas, from Cuban, Mexican, and Thai pizzas to other twists like chocolate dessert pizzas.

"We just put on, just for the fun of it, see how it was going to taste." -Sam Panopoulos

To Pineapple or Not to Pineapple

From Sam Panopoulos's first Hawaiian pizza to those being produced en masse today, pineapple on pizza still maintains a widely positive reception, particularly in the United States and Canada. However, as with all good things in life, there are always critics and dough-ters (doubters). I've noticed there are often three categories to the people behind the critiques of pineapple as a topping: The pizza purists, the unacquainted, and then the people who just don't like the flavor. Of course there is nothing wrong with not liking something because of the way it tastes, so let's focus on the first two.

Naples, Italy is the birthplace of modern pizza, and as a result, many Italians are very dogmatic about pizza, as well as with many of their other dishes. For many of them, it kills the authenticity and therefore they do not recognize it as legitimate pizza. However, just because it's not considered legitimate doesn't take away from the taste. On the other hand, there are many who have never tried a pizza with pineapple as a topping yet oppose the idea. Whether it just never crossed their mind or they are repulsed by the thought of fruit on a pizza, it is not my place to say. You must admit, however, that the only way to form a solid opinion on the matter is to try it yourself and see whether it is up your alley or not.

There have been some entertaining moments in the lifelong debate of pineapple on pizza, such as when the president of Iceland made a joke about banning pineapple pizza and replacing it with seafood toppings.

Although it was meant in good humor, it evoked a negative response from many who enjoy pineapple pizza as it was taken at face value and not as a joke, and even gained a response from Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, leading to the president of Iceland having to clarify his statement.

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When it comes to those that enjoy Hawaiian style pizza, it is often as simple as liking the balance of sweet and salty and the uniqueness of the topping itself, and those who oppose it have a myriad of personal reasons as well. Although there are many thoughts and opinions, on the matter, I believe Chef Emily of EMILY and Emmy Squared says it best. "People who live in hard absolutes with pizza have no fun in their lives... [pineapple] is an acceptable pizza topping as long as it is balanced and not overpowering." So to those of you out there who think pineapple is an ill fit for pizza, I urge you to give it another try. You might not think its so bad after all, and gain a better understanding of Sam Panopoulos's dream.