Texan Mosaic

Manuel Muniz

Staff Writer

A debate that can create feuds even in families when it comes time to order pizza and decide which toppings each family member wants.

Pineapple comes to mind. But does pineapple belong on pizza?

Pizza, as it is known today, was invented in 1889 in Naples, Italy by a man named Raffaele Esposito. The idea came when he was requested to prepare a flatbread dish for Queen Margherita and King Umberto I. Esposito created three different pizzas. One of them used a combination of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil to recreate the red, white and green of the Italian flag. Before this, pizza was usually a dish eaten mostly by the poor as a way to use up ingredients that would otherwise go to waste. Esposito is considered to be the father of modern pizza. 

After pizza became popularized across the world, every country made their own versions of the dish. Detroit pizza, for example, is a style the United States has to offer. The Detroit-style pizza is a deep-dish pie with an extra crispy crust topped with brick cheese and a thick layer of sauce on top. 

In Argentina, their version of pizza is fugazza. It consists of dough that is topped with caramelized onions, oregano and mozzarella then grilled to be crispy and a chewy perfection. A popular Hungarian street food is langos. Langos is traditionally made with sour cream and yogurt topped with cheese, garlic and butter. South Korea also has their own dish called bulgogi that combines western culture with their culture. Bulgogi is topped with marinated barbecued beef, corn, peppers and a bulgogi sauce which is made of white wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil and sugar. 

But none of the previously mentioned pizzas created more arguments than the “pineapple pizza.” Most people either hate pineapple pizza or they love it, and both sides have valid reasons for the argument.

Pineapple pizza, or Hawaiian pizza like it is known as, was created by a Greek-born Canadian man named Sam Panopoulos in Ontario, Canada in 1962. His inspiration came from commonly mixing sweet and savory flavors when making Chinese dishes. At first, the addition of pineapple to the traditional pizza was a complete flop. It wasn’t until ham was added to the mix that it became a staple offering of pizzerias across the globe. 

So how did it get the name “Hawaiian pizza” if it was created by a Greek man living in Canada and pineapples are native to South America. Simple, Panopoulos chose Hawaiian after the brand of canned pineapples he used. 

When asking a pineapple lover why they love it on pizza, the response was, “because it tastes amazing, the balance between the sweetness, saltiness, cheese and tomato sauce is a perfect match.” Others like pineapple overall, so adding it to pizza is not a shocker. It is also something different from the typical pepperoni and cheese. Plus, pineapple is a fruit, so that means it’s healthy! You do not have to feel as guilty when eating a whole pizza. 

But some are just not fans of pineapple, let alone on pizza. For one, it is messy. Pizza is meant to be a finger food, and pineapple is too juicy. Others just do not like the texture when adding it to the pizza, while some just do not like the way it tastes. Only one fruit is meant to be on pizza, and that is tomatoes. You don’t typically put watermelon or mangoes on pizza, do you? Of course not.