These days, pretty well anything you dream up could be added to a pizza before making
its way to the oven.
But, there are just some pizza toppings that are a bit more controversial than your plain
cheese, and we decided to figure out why.
These are the most controversial pizza toppings, explained.
If there was any controversial pizza topping to start this list with, it's definitely pineapple.
Seriously, people have been arguing about this sweet topping option for decades.
"Pineapples do not belong on pizza.
I don't care where you're from."
Putting pineapple on pizza dates back to 1962, with an experiment at a pizza joint in Ontario,
Canada.
Somehow, the experiment worked.
People loved the combination of sweet pineapple and savory ham, and the Hawaiian Pizza was
born.
It became so popular that basically every pizza chain has their own version now, but
not everyone is cool with it.
Some people seem to think that pineapple is the most atrocious option for a pizza, and
pineapple-haters are diehard advocates for leaving it off their pie.
It's become so heated that the President of Iceland once publicly declared his opposition,
and there are stories of pizza makers refusing to put the topping on for customers.
This is one pizza topping battle that seems destined to go on forever.
If you've ever had barbecue sauce on pizza, you can easily attest to this controversy.
Especially if you're with a group of friends, deciding on whether it's an appropriate topping
option can get a little heated.
California Pizza Kitchen invented the barbecue chicken pizza as a way to move away from traditional
pizza toppings.
The new pizza was invented in 1985, and it's still hugely popular.
Since then, many pizza joints have started carrying BBQ sauce as a sauce option.
But despite its rise in popularity, there are definitely still people out there who
think it's absurd.
It's still up for debate depending on a person's taste buds.
But with barbecue pizza going strong for decades, it's probably here to stay.
Whether you put it in your breakfast smoothie every morning, or you've only heard of it
because of Popeye, you've surely had spinach a time or two.
But have you ever tried it on a pizza?
Spinach has plenty of health benefits, from lowering your blood pressure to helping with
your eyesight.
So, wouldn't putting spinach on your pizza be an automatic?
Well, not so fast, because some pizza fans just can't stand the thought.
Spinach doesn't keep its texture when baked in a high heat oven.
That means you risk things getting soggy and even slimy when you put it on pizza.
It all boils down to personal preference, but plenty of people seem to think that texture
is far more important than the potential health benefits of a leafy green.
You've probably heard than any sad meal is made better if you just put an egg on it.
Well, for some people, that rule apparently doesn't apply for everything, and especially
not pizza.
Putting an egg on top of pizza is ridiculously popular in France, and it's gaining in popularity
elsewhere.
Sometimes the egg is actually cracked on top of the pizza before putting it in the oven,
or the egg is fried and then added on later.
Either way, the eggs are usually runny, with the yolk adding to both the taste and texture
of the pizza.
For some people, the idea of egg yolk running down into pizza crust is divine.
For others, it's disgusting.
This doesn't seem to be a debate people are settling just yet.
Broccoli is a great vegetable, packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and plenty
of fiber.
But like spinach, is adding broccoli to your pizza really the answer?
Well, it is for some.
Broccoli is a pretty unpopular vegetable to begin with, especially with kids.
Those tiny trees are bad enough on the side of your dinner plate, but on pizza.... no
way.
"Who puts broccoli on pizza?"
On the other side of the debate, some cooks think we should be putting more broccoli on
pizza and cooking it raw and at high temps.
That way the pizza comes out with crunchy broccoli that's lightly charred.
It seems the jury is still out on this debate.
Pizza has been around for centuries, and in that time a lot has changed.
One thing that hasn't changed is the use of tomato sauce as a pizza staple.
But if you're putting together a pizza with a tomato sauce, do you really need to add
even more tomatoes?
Some people say yes, but that's definitely not without debate.
Adding fresh tomatoes to a pizza, especially paired with ingredients like basil, adds an
element of freshness to an otherwise heavy food.
Still, a lot of people aren't fans.
Many argue that adding tomatoes on top of tomatoes just isn't necessary, and it could
even make the pizza too soggy.
Perhaps it's all about finding the perfect balance, tomato lovers.
Anchovies are one of those foods people are sometimes not even aware that they're eating.
From Caesar salads to pasta sauces, the tiny fish often get melted in when we're not looking.
On pizza, though, they're pretty obvious.
Anchovies on pizza is not a revolutionary idea.
In fact, one of the very earliest pizza combos had anchovies on it, probably because Italians
love fish and bread.
When pizza made its way to the U.S., anchovies came with it, but they weren't necessarily
as accepted.
"So none of you has ever had anchovies?
Aw, man, you don't know what you're missing!"
There are certainly a few rabid fans who love having anchovies on pizza, but public opinion
is against them.
The little fish remain one of the most feared pizza toppings in the United States.
Perhaps we just need to open our minds a little more.
Yes, some people really do add clams, sometimes still in their shells, to pizza.
And like other controversial toppings, there's definitely a group of die-hard enthusiasts
and plenty of people who hate it.
The clam pizza was invented in Connecticut in the 1960s, at the same time the pizza joint
was serving clams on the half shell.
Since then, the clam pizza debate has boomed, with fans of the pie claiming it's actually
the best kind of pizza.
There are others that say the flavors and aromas just don't mix, and we can't help but
agree.
Clams are delicious, but keep them far, far away from our pizza.
People love shrimp, so it makes sense that shrimp is a popular pizza topping around the
world.
It's found on seafood pizzas in Australia, coconut and shrimp pizzas in Costa Rica, and
plenty of other places.
Online, you'll find dozens of recipes for a "shrimp scampi pizza," which takes the buttery,
garlicky flavors of the classic pasta dish and dumps it onto pizza dough.
So, if so many people love shrimp pizza, what's so wrong about the concoction?
In Italian cuisine, mixing seafood and cheese is strictly prohibited.
Other cuisines might not follow this rule, but in Italy, it's not done.
Since pizza originated in Italy, we have to follow the rules: Don't mix shrimp and cheese.
There are certainly plenty of weird pizza toppings around the world, but tuna from a
can has to be one of the weirdest.
It's one thing to make a shrimp scampi pizza, or to add anchovies to your pie.
It's not for us, but we understand the desire to add salty fish to a cheesy pizza.
Opening up a can of tuna and plopping that stuff on the pizza, on the other hand, is
just a bit too fishy for us.
If you want to eat the chicken of the sea, enjoy it on a sandwich or salad, but leave
pizza alone.
For a long time, avocados were mostly just used for guacamole by a lot of Americans.
But somewhere along the way, avocado became a household staple.
People started using it instead of butter in baked goods and as a way to elevate toast
and turkey sandwiches into something more exciting.
It's only natural that people would want to put their new favorite produce on pizza, but
sadly, it just doesn't belong.
Pizza crust doesn't have much flavor on its own, so it needs things like sauce and toppings
to provide flavor.
That totally works when you add marinara sauce, pesto, or Alfredo and any number of pizza
toppings.
But avocado doesn't contribute much flavor on its own.
Without salt and flavorings like garlic or onion, an avocado doesn't taste like much.
Put it on a pizza, and what does it add?
Just a buttery texture.
Plus, avocado gets weird and slimy when it's heated.
We're going to say thanks, but no thanks to this trendy topping.
Before its rise to trendy fame in the early 2010s, kale was most widely used as decoration
for the salad bar at places like Pizza Hut.
Today, kale has launched to superfood status, and you'll find it in just about everything
from salads to veggie chips.
So what's our beef with kale on pizza?
It just doesn't taste that great.
Just like broccoli, adding kale to pizza seems to be a way to appease our guilt by including
a so-called healthy ingredient on an otherwise unhealthy dish.
You'll end up with soggy, bitter leaves if the kale is under the cheese, or charred bits
if it's on top.
Either way, if you're looking to add nutrients to your diet, skip the kale on pizza.
It will taste much better if you order a side of sauteed greens or a soup made with kale
instead.
We know that Americans love ranch dressing, and not just for use in salad.
Ranch has branched out to become everyone's favorite dip for spicy chicken wings or fried
mozzarella sticks, and we drizzle it on everything from mac and cheese to baked potatoes.
We love using ranch, and it's great for a lot of recipes, but pizza isn't one of them.
Think about what ranch is really made of.
At its most basic, it's a combination of mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk.
Would you put mayonnaise on pizza?
No way.
Sour cream or buttermilk?
We think not.
These types of sauces would thicken unpleasantly or curdle in a hot pizza oven.
So let's agree it might be best to skip using a combination of all three when you bake up
your next pizza.
Apparently, corn is a pretty popular ingredient on pizza outside the United States.
It's a common topping in the UK, Japan, and Korea.
For Americans, corn on pizza is just... weird, which is pretty funny, considering how much
Americans love and eat corn.
But it's not a natural combination of flavors or textures, and it turns out oddly crunchy
and watery.
Not only that, but adding corn to pizza creates flavors that don't necessarily go together.
Worse yet, you can't exactly pick corn off of the pizza because the kernels are too small.
So, do us a favor and keep the corn on the cob and off the pie.
Onions are one of the most frequently used cooking ingredients, and with good reason.
That said, there is a big difference between cooked and raw onions.
Raw onions are pungent and potent, so much so that you may cry when chopping them.
Given time to cook, onions develop rich flavors that are simultaneously sweet and savory.
That said, adding raw onions on a pizza is a no-go.
The speed of cooking pizza doesn't give the onion a chance to soften and mellow.
That leaves you with a pizza topped with crispy, crunchy, raw bites of onion that will overpower
all the other flavors.
A pizza covered in Nutella, chocolate chips, marshmallows, and bananas might sound good.
But this pizza isn't truly pizza.
We hate to get technical on you, but Merriam Webster defines pizza as,
"A dish made typically of flattened bread dough spread with a savory mixture usually
including tomatoes and cheese and often other toppings and baked."
See the word "savory" in there?
It's one thing to include sweet elements by drizzling honey on a pizza or including pineapple
on your pie.
But dessert pizza doesn't contain any salty ingredients at all, and salt is a necessary
component of a good pizza.
Plus, pizza just isn't pizza without cheese.
Adding sweet, dessert toppings to a pizza is a sad excuse not to make a proper dessert.
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