Love it or hate it, if you've ever ordered pizza,
you've likely had the option of ordering a Hawaiian pizza.
Is Hawaiian pizza all that it seems? Where did it come from? And why do so many people
hate the fact that other people put pineapple on their pizza? Here are the facts you need to know.
Not only is Hawaiian pizza not actually from Hawaii, it's not even from the United States.
Sam Panopoulos immigrated to Canada from Greece in 1954 and opened the Satellite Restaurant with his
brother in London, Ontario. When the Satellite hired a Chinese–Canadian cook and started adding
some sweet and savory dishes to the menu, the inspiration for pineapple on pizza was born.
But the idea for making pizza at the restaurant came after a trip to nearby Windsor,
when Panopoulos first tasted pizza, a food trend that was slowly trickling into Canada.
In an interview with the CBC, Panopoulos said,
"Along the way we threw some pineapples on it and nobody liked it at first. But after that,
they went crazy about it. Because those days nobody was mixing sweets and sours and all that."
Panopoulos later added ham to the pizza and named the pizza
"Hawaiian" after the brand of canned pineapple he used.
For a humble pizza topping, pineapple often inspires some very strong
feelings. You would think that what someone else chooses to put on a pizza affects
no one but that person, but in the case of Hawaiian pizza,
you would apparently be dead wrong. Just look at the title of this Wall Street Journal article:
"A Divided Nation Reveals Itself In One Question: Hawaiian Pizza, Yes or No?"
Terms like "divided nation" are usually reserved for slightly more consequential
issues like nuclear warfare or the death penalty,
but it is appropriate to describe the level of hate that Canadian/Hawaiian pizza brings forth.
"Pineapples do not belong on pizza. I don't care where you're from."
According to a 2017 poll by Public Policy Polling, the United States is, in fact,
a nation divided over whether or not pineapple is an acceptable pizza topping.
According to the data, 47 percent of Americans approve of pineapple on pizza,
32 percent disapprove, and 20 percent are not sure about the combination.
In a question-and-answer session with high school students in Northern Iceland,
one cheeky pupil asked Iceland's President, Gudni Johannesson,
what he thought about pineapple as a pizza topping. The president did not hold back,
telling the student that, if he had the power to pass laws, he would ban it in Iceland.
Twitter had a field day with the statement. DiGiorno saw a great marketing opportunity,
tweeting a picture of its Hawaiian pizza with the caption, quote, "No ban here." After a great deal
of hubbub on social media, President Johannesson released a statement on social media that read,
"I like pineapples, just not on pizza. I do not have the power to make laws which forbid
people to put pineapple on their pizza. [...] For pizzas, I recommend seafood."
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reached out to Sam Panopoulos for his rebuttal to the
President of Iceland's comments. Panopoulos said,
"He can say whatever he wants. He sells the fish over there,
you know, that's all he does. So he has to put the fish on the pizza."
If you've still watching and not putting us on blast in the comment section,
you probably think everyone hates Hawaiian pizza, but that is simply not true. Dwayne "The Rock"
Johnson, a man the size of a fridge who is not to be messed with, wrote in 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."
Actor Jeff Goldblum also revealed his secret love for the pizza. When a fan
asked Goldblum about his thoughts on Hawaiian pizza, the actor said,
"Like there's no bad dog, there's no bad pizza.
I love pineapple on pizza. I love anchovies on pizza."
According to PMQ Pizza Magazine, Hawaiian pizza and chicken pizza each account for 15
percent of all pizza sales in Australia. Why does the land Down Under prefer ham,
pineapple, and chicken to more normal pizza toppings? Tom Potter,
President of the popular Australian pizza chain, Eagle Boys, explained,
"Australians have a blander taste in food than do Americans."
But American taste is not a monolith, either. It's a big country, and Italian–American food
culture is strongest in the Northeast and parts of the Midwest. This is reflected in the results
of a YouGov poll on the ever-provocative question, "Does pineapple belong on a pizza?"
Only 12 percent of Americans who eat pizza claim that pineapple is one of their favorite toppings,
with 15-percent of younger Americans and 17-percent
of Americans living in the western part of the country saying pineapple is one of their faves.
However, Americans from the Northeast and those over the age of 55 were particularly
likely to have pineapple as a least favorite pizza topping,
with 28 percent of each group putting the Hawaiian pizza in more of the hard no category.
A few years before Sam Panopoulos had the salty/sweet stroke of genius that
created Hawaiian pizza, some Germans were chowing down on a similar dish.
Originating in the German-speaking area of Switzerland, Toast Hawaii is reminiscent of
Hawaiian pizza except that it is an open-faced sandwich that layers ham,
pineapple, and melted cheese with a cherry on top. If you'd like to make Toast Hawaii and the cherry
is scaring you off, there's a recipe that uses a spoonful of cranberry jelly instead.
Why pineapples and ham?
Pineapples are not native to Hawaii, but they have become closely associated with the state.
Pineapples originally came from South America,
spreading from Brazil to Mexico and the West Indies. Columbus brought them back to Europe,
and pineapples, along with oranges and limes, became excellent fruit to bring along on long
ocean voyages due to their high vitamin C content, which helps prevent scurvy.
On one such voyage, Spanish missionaries likely brought the pineapple to Hawaii.
The Hawaiian pineapple industry didn't really take off until
marketing-savvy James Dole opened the Hawaiian Pineapple Company in 1901,
introducing pineapple to the American mainland and turbocharging Hawaiian agriculture.
As for ham, while we've established that the OG Hawaiian pizza was made with Canadian bacon,
there is something about Hawaii and ham, or rather, Hawaii and Spam. Per capita,
Hawaiians consume more of the Hormel Foods meat in a can than anywhere else in the United States,
with about six cans per year going for every person on the islands.
"More spam!"
It's fair to say that most Americans' understanding of Hawaii is often problematic.
As the 1960s and 1970s brought an explosion of Polynesian-themed
hotels and tiki lounges to the mainland, it seemed that some
people forgot that Native Hawaiian culture isn't just a kitschy theme for parties.
But times have changed, and the America that built a large Polynesian-themed dining club,
the Kahiki Supper Club, in Columbus, Ohio, of all places,
was a different America. Still, for most of us on the mainland, the real Hawaii remains a mystery.
A pizza restaurant on Maui, the Flatbread Company, aims to make a real Hawaiian pizza
using locally sourced ingredients and recipes. Instead of ham, it uses kalua pork,
mango barbecue sauce, red onions, Hawaiian goat cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan,
and fresh pineapple. Kalua pork is a slow-cooked pork that's considered a staple dish at any luau.
A lot of people think putting pineapple on pizza is straight-up crazy, but what would
happen if you ditched the ham and added jalapenos [hall-uh-PEEN-yo] to your pineapple-topped pizza?
Make it vegetarian, make it spicy, and maybe make your friends think you've lost your mind.
Gawker writer Kelly Conaboy points out that,
although her friends would react in horror whenever she would suggest ordering such a pizza,
if you google the combo, countless pineapple and jalapeno pizza recipes come up.
Salon writer Amanda Marcotte recalls a pizza place in Austin, Texas,
that sold a pineapple jalapeño pizza under the name, quote,
"the stoner special," and she argues that pineapples and jalapeños work best on cheap,
takeout-style pizza because they pack a punch to make up for the lack of quality ingredients.
However you enjoy your pizza, whether it's thin crust or deep dish,
artisanal or cheap-o, just remember: You are allowed to put pineapple on pizza,
whether you're going for a Hawaiian pizza or not. There's no law against it.
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