Pineapple on pizza: A topping that has divided the world

By
Web Desk
|
Baked pizza with pineapple and ham topping. — Unsplash
Baked pizza with pineapple and ham topping. — Unsplash

  • In 1960s, Canadian chef developed pizza topping that divides world today.
  • Genes could be deciding factor for people's food preferences.
  • Meat pairing with fruit is common like in Iran, lamb with pomegranate is much-loved.


You either love pineapple on pizza or you hate it — there is nothing in between.

In the 1960s, a Canadian chef developed the pizza topping that divides the world today, reported the BBC.

Sam Panopolous was actually a Greek who had migrated to Canada. He ran a restaurant in Ontario where he wanted to do something unique. To combine sweet and sour flavours like America's versions of Chinese food, he added a topping of canned pineapple and slice ham to his pizza.

Some consider it a culinary crime while others think it is classic.

According to the BBC, his "fusion food" lead to the launch of a Tropical Recipe Book by Australian food processing company Golden Circle. Turns out, the company was a big producer of canned pineapples.

Pork and pineapple is a popular and loved meat pairing in different cuisines, but it's not the only meat pairing with fruit. In Iran, for example, lamb with pomegranate is much-loved. American Thanksgiving Turkey is accompanied by cranberry sauce and other fruity items.

Apparently, sweet and salty flavours work together really well. Salted caramel would be the best example. Flavour-layering, therefore, is very important to chefs and many try to combine different flavours to create a perfect dish.

However, some people are more sensitive to particular tastes than others. Scientists believe genetics have a role to play here. People with a gene called TAS2R38, for example, can be more or less sensitive to bitter taste.

Therefore, genes could actually be a deciding factor for people's food preferences.

Despite that, humans are quite serious about these preferences. In 2017, the president of Iceland actually told school children that he would ban pineapples on pizza because he disliked it fundamentally. He then took to social media to explain his disposition toward pineapples and their fusion with pizza.

Soon enough, Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, too shared his opinion saying he would "stand behind the delicious Southwestern Ontario creation". 

Later, the Iceland leader admitted he had been too harsh in his stance and said he "went a step too far".