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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsPineapple on pizza is easy to hate -- at least in theory
At some point in the never-ending debate over whether pineapple belongs on pizza, the haters, maybe with tongues pressed against cheek, invoked Godwins Law. Yep, they compared those who like the tropical fruit on pies to Hitler. One said they were worse than Hitler. The comparison would become a common insult, occasionally even flung back at the snobs who turn their nose up at a pineapple-topped pizza.
Many foods have taken their lumps over the years. Avocado toast, cake pops and kale Caesar salads come to mind. But nothing has sustained the hate like Hawaiian pizza, the most recognizable pie that features chunks of the divisive fruit. According to recent data from YouGov Omnibus, nearly a quarter of Americans say pineapple is one of their least favorite pizza toppings. Those who live in the Northeast or are older than 55 hate pineapple toppings even more. Only two ingredients generate more loathing among American pie eaters: oily anchovies and slimy eggplant.
Celebrities, politicians, chefs and even minimum-wage pizzamakers count themselves as members of this pineapple hate group. Gordon Ramsay, a chef never at a loss for words, once opined, You dont put . . . pineapple on pizza. He used a colorful adjective before pineapple, to emphasize his disdain. The president of Iceland said he would outlaw pineapple on pizza if he could, a statement that made him an instant hero in some circles. A couple of years ago, a University of Arizona undergraduate tried to add pineapple to her barbecue chicken pizza, but the pie arrived sans fruit, with a note from the campus restaurant: Couldnt bring myself to put pineapple on it. Thats gross. Sorry. A $5 bill was taped to the pizza box.
Its hard to pinpoint exactly whats behind the animosity toward pineapple on pizza. Pineapple itself was No. 10 on a list of the most-popular fruits purchased in America last year, behind bananas and oranges but ahead of pears, cherries and avocados (!!). It probably goes without saying that none of the top 20 fruits in America is a common pizza topping, though some, such as pears and apples, make an occasional cameo. Jonathan Allen, co-owner of the superb Pizza CS in Rockville, Md., told me that he ate Hawaiian pizza as an undiscriminating kid but now frowns on pineapple on any kind of pie, especially on the Neapolitan rounds served at his restaurant. He doesnt like the texture. A sign over the counter at Pizza CS reinforces Allens stance: No slices. No pineapple. No ranch.
I'm against it in most cases but was surprised to find that Mellow Mushroom does it right. Their pacific rim pizza has: "Mellow red sauce base with mozzarella, ham, bacon, caramelized onions, pineapple, and jalapeños". The sweet pineapple balances out the spicy jalapenos in a great way. https://mellowmushroom.com/menu/
In most other cases I would avoid the "Hawaiian" pizza option and just go with lots of veggies unless anything else looks interesting.
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!
brewens
(13,608 posts)so can a Hawaiian. One of my favorite places has the Big Kahuna. It's got like three varieties of ham, pineapple and mandarin oranges. Now the oranges aren't much good on it, so I order it without those and extra pineapple.
The other big seller there is German and polish sausage, onions and sauerkraut, with a mustard sauce. If you love brats and kraut, that's your pizza! Like the Hawaiian, who cares if it fits the pizza definition. Same with Mexican pizza. I like that just fine but would never order one myself. I can make my own tacos and do better.
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!
brewens
(13,608 posts)underpants
(182,848 posts)Sex is like pizza - it may not be great pizza....but it's pizza
Skittles
(153,170 posts)InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,868 posts)What's so wonderful about pineapple on pizza is that the very hot pizza oven singes (not sure if I'm using the exact right word) the edges of the pineapple. It's almost grilled, and enhances the pineapple flavor marvelously. Paired with ham it's totally wonderful.
Now I do get not liking certain ingredients in certain foods. Take onion. I generally love onion and use it in a lot of my cooking. But on pizza? Oh, dear lord, it's awful. The same with mushrooms or green peppers on pizza. Yuck. The baking process gives all of them a texture that is, for me, truly dreadful. So for me, the veggies are a complete no go.
I am genuinely offended that the campus pizza place refused to put the pineapple on the student's pizza. That's beyond rude. The maker of the pizza wasn't being required to eat it, and it's not like anchovies which truly stink up everything nearby. I once made the mistake of agreeing to get a pizza with anchovies on half because the other person loved anchovy pizza. Oh, sweet Zeus, never again. My half was inedible because it reeked of the anchovies.
With pineapple, I can get it on my half and you can have anything you want on your half (except anchovies) and it won't matter.
happybird
(4,613 posts)aka dressing up a frozen cheese pizza, I mince onion and bell pepper down super fine. It gives the pizza great onion and pepper flavor without the gross texture. It works with mushrooms, too.
I hate it when the veggies are sliced. Not only is the texture weird and awful, but the long pieces pull off and slap your chin when you take a bite.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,868 posts)but I can see the if you like those flavors on the pizza, mincing them super fine would be a great way to go.
And I love it that you make pizza at home by dressing up frozen cheese pizza.
I have been known to make pizza from scratch, meaning I make the dough and add all the other ingredients. To be honest, it's really not any better than pizza from a chain pizza place, although it is cheaper.
Kali
(55,016 posts)it may not contaminate the other half like anchovies, but pineapple contaminates the whole pie too
True Dough
(17,313 posts)but I don't think the photo in the OP does it justice. Something like this is more appealing, in my eyes:
ThoughtProvoker
(32 posts)Pineapple and cheese just go together perfectly. The only pizza I eat these days is cheese pizza with nothing but pineapple on it. I also love adding a slice of pineapple to grilled cheese sandwiches. Just a brilliant flavor combination.
delisen
(6,044 posts)but I always shed crocodile tears on it because of the dead pig---making the sandwich a bit salty, but then I eat it anyway so as to not waste the food.
Am I ethically challenged?
rurallib
(62,432 posts)Good pizza sauce is getting hard to find anymore. Seems like everybody is using some kind of generic marinara sauce.
Kali
(55,016 posts)that was made of shredded sharp cheddar and crushed pineapple as far as I could tell. (I never ate it but your post reminded me of that bowl full of orange and yellow sadness LOL)
NBachers
(17,130 posts)I never would've known if I hadn't read the article.
I'll keep on ordering my Hawaiian pizza.
rurallib
(62,432 posts)dawg day
(7,947 posts)Then I was with a group that ordered... shrimp pineapple pizza. Jeez, it was good. I still hate myself for giving in.
msongs
(67,430 posts)musicman65
(524 posts)a nice little kick in the mouth,,,yummy
MicaelS
(8,747 posts)Anchovies and pineapple are two of them, but there are many more.
I blame this bastardization of Pizza on California Pizza Kitchen and Hawaiian Pizza.
2naSalit
(86,691 posts)And the idea of pineapple, tomato and bread go together... that requires a cast-iron stomach!
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)What really horrified me is when I found out that people put ranch dressing on their pizza. For god's sake, why?
Kali
(55,016 posts)(now, I like it on salad and maybe hot wings, but nope - don't want it slathered on every damn food there is)
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,493 posts)Just like a good sub sandwich shop, why not offer customers what they may want?
As we see from responses here, with foods it's to each his/her own. I love an occasional pineapple & ham pie as a nice change, or perhaps a small one to satisfy a sweet tooth after regular pizza.
I personally dislike anchovies but would never deny others of that right......
IronLionZion
(45,474 posts)Enough places sell it that obviously someone is buying it. We get into problems when a place sells it but an employee decides not to serve it to a customer because of their own personal taste. This sounds similar to the conservatives in drugstores who won't sell birth control.
And there will always be snobby haters who look for a reason to express disdain and judge another person's choices. I bet everyone here does or likes something that another person would find disgusting. I enjoyed the DUer claiming veggies on pizza are disgusting, since that's my favorite.
no_hypocrisy
(46,146 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Pizza here is pronounced abeetz by those who know.
Here is some background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven-style_pizza
Just don't come here and order the abomination of pineapple on pizza...
IronLionZion
(45,474 posts)there was a Pete's New Haven style apizza that opened here in DC briefly but it closed.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)mozzarella getting in the way of the fresh tomatoes and sweet white clams?
There is, I believe, a place for moots but not on my white clam pizza...