The Great Debate: pineapples on pizza and how a fruit sparked a culinary civil war

There is no debate quite as divisive as the “Should pineapples be on pizza?” question in all of culinary controversies. It’s a topic that can transform civilised dinner parties into treacherous minefields, and make grown adults behave like children fighting over the last slice. Indeed, few culinary creations have achieved what the Hawaiian pizza has accomplished: uniting the world in passionate disagreement.

Whether you’re team pineapple or anti-pineapple on your pizzas, strap in as we unravel its contested origins, decode the science behind the scandal, and hear what some of the world’s finest chefs have to say.

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The Hawaiian pizza was created in Chatham, Ontario, in 1962 (Photo: Getty Images)

Hawaiian pizza wasn’t even created in Hawaii

It begins not in the sun-drenched state of Hawaii, but in the rather less exotic Chatham, Ontario. In 1962, a Greek immigrant named Sam Panopoulos, owner of Satellite Restaurant, added tinned pineapple to accompany ham atop a pizza base. He coined the moniker, Hawaiian pizza, as the canned pineapples he used came from the brand “Hawaiian”. It was discovered that Panopoulos drew inspiration from an unlikely source: Chinese cuisine’s deft balance between sweet and sour flavours.

The irony, of course, is exquisite. A Greek-Canadian, inspired by Chinese flavour principles, created a pizza dish named after an American island state, using tinned fruit that bore no relation to actual Hawaiian cuisine.

Depending on who you ask, it’s either cultural fusion at its most absurd or the kind of delicious accident that could only happen in the melting pot of 1960s North America; a time where pizza was more a novelty than familiarity, hence foreign culinary traditions are significantly less ingrained in most folks. Little did Panopoulos know that what he created out of fun would become one of the most contentious dishes in gastronomic history.

AI-generated image of Clemens Wilmenrod’s Toast Hawaii (Photo: Gemini)

Of course, like all good origin stories, this Hawaiian pizza is highly contested. Food historians have unearthed evidence suggesting Panopoulos may not have been the sole pioneer. In Germany, TV cook Clemens Wilmenrod popularised the Toast Hawaii, an open-faced sandwich topped with ham, cheese, and pineapple, in 1955, seven years before Panopoulos’. Even the use of the moniker Hawaiian pizza was subjected to debate, where a Hawaiian pizza was discovered in Portland, Oregon, as early as 1957, albeit the pie excluded ham.

While Panopoulos’s name may be the most recognisable, the existence of these precursors suggests the world was, perhaps unconsciously, preparing itself for an impending sweet and savoury revolution.

The science behind the scandal and why it works (or not)

AI-generated image of a scientist examining a Hawaiian pizza under the microscope (Photo: Gemini)

One should peek into the microscope to understand why adding pineapples to pizza generates such visceral reactions. The tropical fruit’s distinctive character is derived from a complex combination of flavour compounds: citric acid providing tartness, fruity esters contributing sweetness, vanillin lending vanilla notes, and even eugenol, which lends that inimitable clove-like warmth to taste. When these compounds meet pizza’s usual suspects, the flavour contrast is reinforced. Think acid cutting through the richness of melted cheese, sweetness countering the savouriness of tomato sauce and salty ham, and when properly caramelised by the fierce oven heat, introducing the complex Maillard element into every bite.

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Diego Vitagliano is the chef-owner of 10 Diego Vitagliano in Naples, Italy (Photo: Alessandra Farinelli)

Antonio Miscellaneo is the Italian chef-owner of pizzerias La Bottega Enoteca and Casa Vostra in Singapore (Photo: Casa Vostra)

The real war, however, isn’t fought in laboratories but in the arena of cultural identity; tradition versus innovation. For Italian pizza purists, pineapple represents nothing short of a culinary abomination. “From a classic Italian point of view, pineapple, ham and tomato are a big no, not just on pizza, but also as an isolated combination,” asserts Antonio Miscellaneo, the Italian chef-owner of pizzerias La Bottega Enoteca and Casa Vostra in Singapore. “In Italy, we would not adulterate the taste of tomato as we prefer flavours to remain pure and simple. On top of that, I don’t enjoy fruit on pizza, as I find sweet elements out of place—unless, of course, if it’s a dessert pizza.”

Diego Vitagliano, the chef-owner of 10 Diego Vitagliano in Naples, Italy, and the world’s number one Pizzaiolo chef (conferred by 50 Top Pizza World 2023), echoes this sentiment: “We think about wild garlic, cheeses from the Lattari Mountains, or San Marzano tomatoes, long before we think about pineapples. I take inspiration from local ingredients to honour local producers and support the regional economy. By only using ingredients from Campania, I could express my identity and sense of belonging.”

The fusion frontline of pizza provocateurs

Mirko Febbrile is the chef-owner of Somma, a progressive Italian fine-dining restaurant in Singapore (Photo: Somma)

Conversely, the Hawaiian pizza embodies everything exhilarating about culinary fusion. It represents the experimental spirit that drives gastronomy forward, the willingness to challenge convention, and the recognition that tradition, whilst venerable, need not be immutable.

“Sure, pineapples on pizza is not traditional, but neither was the Margherita in 1889. Taste evolves. Cultures collide. That’s how cuisine moves forward,” declares Mirko Febbrile, chef-owner of Somma, a progressive Italian fine-dining restaurant in Singapore. “I’m not here to gatekeep what people enjoy. I respect what it represents: freedom to taste, to question, to create. Differences are what make food (and life) interesting. So I say bring it on, let them eat pineapple. Just make sure the dough’s fermented right.”

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Vincenzo Capuano is the chef-owner of Pizzeria Vincenzo Capuano along Mohamed Sultan Road (Photo: Pizzeria Vincenzo Capuano)

Singapore’s great migration of international pizza superstars ensues as May brings in the anticipated likes of 2022’s World Champion of “Contemporary Pizza” Vincenzo Capuano, who debuts Pizzeria Vincenzo Capuano along Mohamed Sultan Road; and Tsubasa Tamaki’s Tokyo-Neapolitan style pizza joint Pizza Studio Tamaki (PST) in Tanjong Pagar. We check in with both pizza stars.

While Capuano has gained TikTok fame for his contemporary Neapolitan pizzas, which experiment with longer fermentations, lighter doughs, and creative toppings, he remains anchored in Naples tradition. “Other than those with tourist-oriented menus, you won’t find pineapples on pizza in classic Neapolitan pizzerias,” shares Capuano. “I wouldn’t put pineapple on a Neapolitan pizza, but I’m not against experimentation. Pizza is a universal language, and everyone has the right to express it in their own way. As long as it’s done with passion and respect for the product, I’m open to new ideas.”

Tsubasa Tamaki is the chef-owner of Tokyo-Neapolitan style pizza joint PST in Tanjong Pagar (Photo: Pizza Studio Tamaki)

Eddie Murakami is the Japanese pizzaiolo behind popular pizzeria Beyond the Dough along Arab Street (Photo: Beyond the Dough)

On the flipside, Tamaki champions pineapples on pizza with vim and vigour. The Okinawa-born chef is crafting a pineapple pizza for his June monthly special, utilising Okinawan pineapples known for their “strong sweetness and balanced acidity, where some have a peach-like aroma, while others are bred to be easy to eat with little to no core”. While the new creation is only available at PST’s Okinawan branch, Tamaki suggests pairing pineapple with spicy sausage or seasonal green chilli peppers for those keen.

Echoing Tamaki’s sentiment is former apprentice Eddie Murakami, a Japanese pizzaolo behind the popular Beyond the Dough along Arab Street. As a fan of sweet and savoury combinations, which make up the backbone of countless beloved dishes in Southeast Asia, Murakami hones in on his time spent in the United States, where he had fond memories of enjoying Hawaiian pizza regularly. “It is such an appealing contrast,” he confesses. “Pineapples on pizza tend to divide opinions, but that’s why it makes it interesting.”

Will there ever be a democratic verdict?

The pineapple pizza phenomenon unites all in a passionate yet benign discourse (Photo: Getty Images)

Perhaps the pith of the pineapple pizza phenomenon isn’t all that divisive. It is a dish that humbles acclaimed chefs, street food vendors, and foodies to the same level of passionate yet benign discourse, reminding us that taste, ultimately, remains subjective. So, whether you’re team pineapple or resolutely opposed, this contentious debate will likely continue stirring up controversy as long as it may. And in a world where we can all agree on so little, my discord wouldn’t be about fruit on pizza, but perhaps whether I should ask for extra cheese.

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