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IronLionZion

(45,474 posts)
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 08:21 PM Apr 2019

Pineapple on pizza is easy to hate -- at least in theory

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/04/23/pineapple-on-pizza-is-easy-to-hate-at-least-in-theory/?utm_term=.1987fe621eea&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1



At some point in the never-ending debate over whether pineapple belongs on pizza, the haters, maybe with tongues pressed against cheek, invoked Godwin’s 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 don’t 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: “Couldn’t bring myself to put pineapple on it. Thats gross. Sorry.” A $5 bill was taped to the pizza box.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s 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 doesn’t like the texture. A sign over the counter at Pizza CS reinforces Allen’s 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.
34 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Pineapple on pizza is easy to hate -- at least in theory (Original Post) IronLionZion Apr 2019 OP
I cast my vote for Hawaiian pizza... yummy!! InAbLuEsTaTe Apr 2019 #1
It works because it's ham and pineapple. If chicken with a white sauce can be pizza, brewens Apr 2019 #27
Sounds good... but, yeah, forget the oranges. InAbLuEsTaTe Apr 2019 #28
My use for those mandarin oranges is in my oatmeal. That is pretty good. n/t brewens Apr 2019 #30
Related underpants Apr 2019 #2
. Kurt V. Apr 2019 #4
trust me, only guys can say that Skittles Apr 2019 #5
+1 2naSalit Apr 2019 #18
LOL! Good one! InAbLuEsTaTe Apr 2019 #29
egg and eggplant. with pineapple. yum. Kurt V. Apr 2019 #3
I wonder how many of those who claim to hate it have never even tried it. PoindexterOglethorpe Apr 2019 #6
When making pizza at home happybird Apr 2019 #17
Personally, I don't want the flavor of onion or bell pepper on my pizza, PoindexterOglethorpe Apr 2019 #21
nope Kali Apr 2019 #24
I love pineapple on pizza True Dough Apr 2019 #7
Pineapple..... ThoughtProvoker Apr 2019 #8
I like grilled cheese ham & pineapple sandwich delisen Apr 2019 #10
I think the pineapple goes well with a good pizza sauce rurallib Apr 2019 #11
my mom made some kind of gross 50s or 60s kind of salad Kali Apr 2019 #26
Well, I just found out that I'm some kind of, like, pizza deplorable. NBachers Apr 2019 #9
my oh my - pineapple on MY pie please! rurallib Apr 2019 #12
I remember making one of those vows-- no shrimp, no pineapple on pizza ever! dawg day Apr 2019 #13
anchovies are wunnerful. avocado on pizza is quite good too nt msongs Apr 2019 #14
Gives it musicman65 Apr 2019 #15
Sorry, certain things just do not belong on a pizza. MicaelS Apr 2019 #16
I'm with you on that! 2naSalit Apr 2019 #19
I'm with you. I am kind of a purist when it comes to pizza. smirkymonkey Apr 2019 #23
ranch dressing people put that crap on any and everything! Kali Apr 2019 #25
I feel it's arrogant for Ramsay and the pizza joint owner to say "no pineapple". KY_EnviroGuy Apr 2019 #20
People like to have a choice on how to live their life IronLionZion Apr 2019 #22
I could see my way toward pizza with BACON wrapped around the pineapple chunks. no_hypocrisy Apr 2019 #31
I think there is a law forbidding pineapple on pizza here in New Haven. CTyankee Apr 2019 #32
But you have to order mozzarella as a topping on the apizza IronLionZion Apr 2019 #33
Yeah, mozz ("moots" to us) doesn't work at all on white clam pizza. Think about it: do you want CTyankee Apr 2019 #34

brewens

(13,608 posts)
27. It works because it's ham and pineapple. If chicken with a white sauce can be pizza,
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 04:00 PM
Apr 2019

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)
28. Sounds good... but, yeah, forget the oranges.
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 04:05 PM
Apr 2019

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

PoindexterOglethorpe

(25,868 posts)
6. I wonder how many of those who claim to hate it have never even tried it.
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 08:32 PM
Apr 2019

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)
17. When making pizza at home
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 11:11 PM
Apr 2019

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)
21. Personally, I don't want the flavor of onion or bell pepper on my pizza,
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 12:38 AM
Apr 2019

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)
24. nope
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 03:25 PM
Apr 2019

it may not contaminate the other half like anchovies, but pineapple contaminates the whole pie too

True Dough

(17,313 posts)
7. I love pineapple on pizza
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 08:33 PM
Apr 2019

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)
8. Pineapple.....
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 08:35 PM
Apr 2019

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)
10. I like grilled cheese ham & pineapple sandwich
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 08:42 PM
Apr 2019

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)
11. I think the pineapple goes well with a good pizza sauce
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 08:44 PM
Apr 2019

Good pizza sauce is getting hard to find anymore. Seems like everybody is using some kind of generic marinara sauce.

Kali

(55,016 posts)
26. my mom made some kind of gross 50s or 60s kind of salad
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 03:46 PM
Apr 2019

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)
9. Well, I just found out that I'm some kind of, like, pizza deplorable.
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 08:40 PM
Apr 2019

I never would've known if I hadn't read the article.

I'll keep on ordering my Hawaiian pizza.

dawg day

(7,947 posts)
13. I remember making one of those vows-- no shrimp, no pineapple on pizza ever!
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 08:52 PM
Apr 2019

Then I was with a group that ordered... shrimp pineapple pizza. Jeez, it was good. I still hate myself for giving in.

MicaelS

(8,747 posts)
16. Sorry, certain things just do not belong on a pizza.
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 10:20 PM
Apr 2019

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)
19. I'm with you on that!
Sun Apr 28, 2019, 11:35 PM
Apr 2019

And the idea of pineapple, tomato and bread go together... that requires a cast-iron stomach!

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
23. I'm with you. I am kind of a purist when it comes to pizza.
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 12:23 PM
Apr 2019

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)
25. ranch dressing people put that crap on any and everything!
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 03:28 PM
Apr 2019

(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)
20. I feel it's arrogant for Ramsay and the pizza joint owner to say "no pineapple".
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 12:21 AM
Apr 2019

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)
22. People like to have a choice on how to live their life
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 07:34 AM
Apr 2019

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.

CTyankee

(63,912 posts)
32. I think there is a law forbidding pineapple on pizza here in New Haven.
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 05:59 PM
Apr 2019

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)
33. But you have to order mozzarella as a topping on the apizza
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 10:22 PM
Apr 2019

there was a Pete's New Haven style apizza that opened here in DC briefly but it closed.

CTyankee

(63,912 posts)
34. Yeah, mozz ("moots" to us) doesn't work at all on white clam pizza. Think about it: do you want
Tue Apr 30, 2019, 10:35 AM
Apr 2019

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...

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