# Hawaiian pizza origin **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 31, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038 "2005-07-31T21:03:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/21 "2013-04-06T01:20:07Z")
It’s such a bad idea I’d think Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/22 "2013-04-06T01:24:25Z")
Here’s what Wikipedia says about Hawaiian pizza: > **[Hawaiian pizza](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_pizza)** > > Hawaiian pizza is a pizza originating in Canada, and is traditionally topped with pineapple, tomato sauce, cheese, and either ham or bacon. > Sam Panopoulos, a Greek-born Canadian, created the first Hawaiian pizza at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario, Canada in 1962. Inspired in part by his experience preparing Chinese dishes which commonly mix sweet and savory flavours, Panopoulos experimented with adding pineapple, ham, bacon, and other toppings. These additions were not initially ver... ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/23 "2013-04-06T01:29:53Z")
I actually have had Hawaiian pizza in Hawaii. But no, I don’t think it’s particularly popular there, at least no more so than in most other places. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/24 "2013-04-06T01:40:45Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Here’s what Wikipedia says about Hawaiian pizza: > > [Hawaiian pizza - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_pizza) > [@](#): > > It is the most popular pizza in Australia, accounting for 15% of pizza sales. Proof that Hawaiian Pizza is not fit for human consumption. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/25 "2013-04-06T02:29:34Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Proof that Hawaiian Pizza is not fit for human consumption. Except by Aussies and Canucks (I like it!!).😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/26 "2013-04-06T15:05:06Z")
> [@lhovis73](#): > > I have no idea where Hawaiian pizza comes from, but as a general rule, if something is called “Hawaiian” in an American restaurant, then it’s almost certainly not from Hawaii, but probably comes from a non-Hawaiian’s concept of what Hawaiian food is like… If it has pineapple, it’s ‘Hawaiian’, just like if it has avocado, it’s ‘California’. (A burger with pineapple and teriyaki though, is a ‘teriyaki burger’ or a ‘teri burger’.) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/27 "2013-04-06T17:10:04Z")
Someone necromanced one of my threads. That’s a first. Surprised it even happened, since I rarely start threads. Anyway, in recent years I’ve noticed that Hawaiian pizza is really popular among Mexicans. Not that that gets us any closer to answering the OP, of course. I doubt that it originated in Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/28 "2013-04-06T17:35:51Z")
> [@lhovis73](#): > > Yes, shepherd’s pie (I was trying to remember what the more common name for it was…thanks.) Though from now on, I’m going to call it Hawaiian pie (it’s just as Hawaiian as it is Chinese, right?) No, ghost from 2005, I will DEFINITELY be calling it Chinese Pie from now on. Edit : [Well I’ll be dipped…](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22chinese+pie%22&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=UV1gUfe3O431iQLy4IG4Dg&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=653) ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/29 "2013-04-06T20:16:27Z")
When I was in college in the early 70’s (Northern California) my roommate was assistant manager at Shakey’s and it was on the menu there. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/30 "2013-04-06T21:42:35Z")
This book claims that it was invented in California: > **[A Treasury of Business Opportunities](https://books.google.com/books?id=PgIPAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Hawaiian%2Bpizza%22&dq=%22Hawaiian%2Bpizza%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=t5VgUY6eI-_e4AP2rYCoBA&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAA)** Here’s what Google Ngram says about the term: > **[Google Books Ngram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Hawaiian%2Bpizza&year_start=1800&year_end=2013&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=)** > > Google Books Ngram Viewer I suspect then that it was invented in California in the 1960’s, although it only became a fairly standard term in the 1980’s. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/31 "2013-04-06T23:14:49Z")
Probably a hijack, At the time girlfriend: I like the Hawaiian pizza better without the pineapple. Me: Just order a Canadian Bacon then. Her: I don’t like Canadian Bacon, I prefer the Hawaiian Bacon. Me: :eek: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/32 "2013-04-07T01:09:37Z")
It can’t originate from Australia. We didn’t have any modern type pizza places before Pizza Hut opened a store in 1970. Only traditional Italian style stuff from places in Italian neighborhoods before that. However in Australia all our pizzas are ordered by name not by choosing toppings. For example a Domino’s BBQ Meatlovers is \*Rasher bacon, pepperoni, smoked leg ham, ground beef, Italian sausage & mozzarella on BBQ Sauce \*. A Supreme is \*Pepperoni, rasher bacon, capsicum, ground beef, Italian sausage, mushroom, pineapple, mozzarella & oregano \*. Like the Hawaiin they are pretty standard fare at any suburban pizza place. I remember before the internet my friends and I used to think the pizzas you saw in movies or on TV, with just slices of some sausage, were lame props, the food equivalent of the empty cup of coffee someone drinks on screen. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/33 "2013-04-07T01:31:11Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Here’s what Wikipedia says about Hawaiian pizza: > > [Hawaiian pizza - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_pizza) As if Hawaiian pizza isn’t enough of an abomination, that article links to this: [Toast Hawaii - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toast_Hawaii) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/34 "2013-04-07T01:46:49Z")
It’s mixed in the U.S. whether you order pizza by a name or by ingredients. In general, pizza places have a menu with half a dozen to a dozen different pizzas, for which the menu specifies what is on the pizza. They also have a note below those named pizzas on the menu which gives a list of extra ingredients (which can include many of the things included in the named pizzas) with prices so you can ask to add them to your named pizza. You could also ask them to drop ingredients, I suppose, although I’ve never tried that. It’s typical of American buying habits to be picky about details like that. ---
**Author:** ![\_Olive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/4af34b/32.png) [@\_Olive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Olive)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/35 "2013-04-07T01:46:58Z")
I have found in my travels anything with pork and pineapple gets called a Hawaiian whatever. The word Hawaiian is usually spelled incorrectly. A real Hawaiian pizza has kalua pig on it. No pineapple. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/36 "2013-04-07T02:20:08Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > It’s mixed in the U.S. whether you order pizza by a name or by ingredients. In general, pizza places have a menu with half a dozen to a dozen different pizzas, for which the menu specifies what is on the pizza. They also have a note below those named pizzas on the menu which gives a list of extra ingredients (which can include many of the things included in the named pizzas) with prices so you can ask to add them to your named pizza. You could also ask them to drop ingredients, I suppose, although I’ve never tried that. It’s typical of American buying habits to be picky about details like that. Same up here in Canada. I just ordered a “Tropical Chicken” pizza from Panago Pizza for dinner tonight. If I go out with friends to Boston Pizza, one of our favourites is “Boston Royal, hold the olives” (since my friends and I aren’t fond of olives but like the rest of the ingredients; in that context “hold” means omit). The menus say what ingredients those include. Or alternatively we could just list what ingredients we want although we never do. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/37 "2013-04-07T02:55:25Z")
Moved to Cafe Society. Note this thread was started in 2005. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/38 "2013-04-07T03:11:44Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > As if Hawaiian pizza isn’t enough of an abomination, that article links to this: [Toast Hawaii - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toast_Hawaii) > [@](#): > > the Grilled Spamwich which was published in a cookbook by Spam manufacturer Hormel in 1939 and made its way to Germany through the U.S. Army. As a dish or a weapon? ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/39 "2013-04-07T09:38:40Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > Shepard’s Pie? With the potatoes on top? > > Yum. It’s better with actual shepard on top. ---
**Author:** ![liquorinthefront](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/22d042/32.png) [@liquorinthefront](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liquorinthefront)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038/40 "2013-04-08T18:49:44Z")
> [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](#): > > It’s better with actual shepard on top. I prefer a shepardess on top. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-pizza-origin/315038.md?page=3)