# Pineapple Casserole --- What the Hell? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 16, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770 "2018-01-16T18:33:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/1 "2018-01-16T18:33:53Z")
I will grant that I am not the healthiest eater, but I stumbled across this on the Huffingtopn Post this morning and just had to ask – WTF? > **[If Haven't Had This Legendary Casserole, You're Probably Not Southern](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pineapple-casserole-recipe_n_5a562ef6e4b0d614e48b9b98)** > > It's got pineapple, cheddar and a whole lot of butter. > [@](#): > > When someone dies, we instinctively possess the urge to find that person’s loved ones and fill their refrigerators with an absurd amount of food. For some unknown reason, we usually do this with casseroles. Really, really weird casseroles. > > … > … > … > Perre Coleman Magness, who previously penned an entire cookbook about pimento cheese to prove her Southern street cred, has just written a new book on the subject of funeral food called The Southern Sympathy Cookbook: Funeral Food With A Twist. In it, she shares recipes like Deviled Ham, Hot Chicken Salad and a Jack and Coke Sheet Cake. But one recipe in particular stands out among the others: “That Pineapple Thing.” > … > … > … > The casserole is typically made of canned pineapple chunks coated in sugar and flour, and then baked with a topping made of crumbled Ritz crackers, melted butter and often grated Cheddar cheese. Just reading the list of ingredients is enough to make you check your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Is pineapple not sweet and inviting enough all by itself? Why the hell would you add extra sugar and fat, then top the damned thing with cheese and Ritz crackers? It’s like it’s struggling to be a worse, sweeter Hawaiian Pizza. It could just be a case of my unfamiliarity with the Junk Food of another sub-culture. I could as easily ask “Why add sugar and cinnamon to an apple and bake it? Isn’t it sweet enough?” , but I don’t. Still, this dish seems designed to reinforce my prejudices against Southern Cooking. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/2 "2018-01-16T18:37:50Z")
Whatever you do, don’t google “flying Jacob” if you don’t want to read about oddball casseroles. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/3 "2018-01-16T19:02:45Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Whatever you do, don’t google “flying Jacob” if you don’t want to read about oddball casseroles. Challenge accepted > **[Flying Jacob](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Jacob)** > > Flying Jacob (Swedish: flygande Jacob/Jakob .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}pronounced \[flyːˈgandɛ jɑːˈkɔp\]) is a Swedish casserole composed of chicken, cream, chilli sauce, bananas, roasted peanuts and bacon. The dish is baked in an oven and is usually served with rice and a salad. > The dish was invented by Ove Jacobsson, who worked... > [@](#): > > Flying Jacob (Swedish: Flygande Jacob) is a Swedish casserole that consists of chicken, cream, chili sauce, bananas, roasted peanuts and bacon. In the original recipe, the chicken is seasoned with Italian salad seasoning. The dish is cooked in an oven and is usually served with rice and a salad. > > The dish was invented by Ove Jacobsson who worked in the air freight industry, hence the name. The recipe was first published in Swedish cooking magazine Allt om mat in 1976. Yecch! ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/4 "2018-01-16T19:45:35Z")
I am Southern and the Pineapple casserole sounds pretty good to me. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/5 "2018-01-16T19:53:05Z")
My family always serves pineapple stuffing with the ham at Easter. It consists of pineapple, sugar, butter, milk, and chunks of bread. It’s delicious! I can’t imagine adding cheese to it though. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2018, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/6 "2018-01-16T19:55:26Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Is pineapple not sweet and inviting enough all by itself? Why the hell would you add extra sugar… I associate funeral casseroles with the South and the Midwest – places where they put sugar in _everything_. Even iced tea. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/7 "2018-01-16T19:57:48Z")
I’ve lived in the South for 30 years and have never heard of or seen such a thing. And I hope this is the last I do! I detest pineapple. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/8 "2018-01-16T19:59:24Z")
I take it the op has never been to such places as [midcenturymeals.com](http://midcenturymeals.com) [dinnerisserved.com](http://dinnerisserved.com) and the like ? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/9 "2018-01-16T20:03:54Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I take it the op has never been to such places as [midcenturymeals.com](http://midcenturymeals.com) [dinnerisserved.com](http://dinnerisserved.com) and the like ? Never heard of them. And my computer, for some reason, won’t let me go to them right now. SHOULD I have heard of them? What are they? ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/10 "2018-01-16T20:08:49Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Never heard of them. And my computer, for some reason, won’t let me go to them right now. > > SHOULD I have heard of them? What are they? You aren’t the only one- out of curiosity, I tried, but those sites don’t seem to work at all. [dinnerisserved.com](http://dinnerisserved.com) sort-of loads, with some minor layout stuff, all broken, no content. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/11 "2018-01-16T20:09:14Z")
Too bad. The sites are filled with mid-50s recipes that today would be considered child abuse or war crimes. ETA: Try [http://www.midcenturymenu.com/](http://www.midcenturymenu.com/) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/12 "2018-01-16T20:21:24Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Too bad. The sites are filled with mid-50s recipes that today would be considered child abuse or war crimes. > ETA: Try [http://www.midcenturymenu.com/](http://www.midcenturymenu.com/) In that regard, have a look at James Lileks books _The Gallery of Regrettable Food_ and _Gastroanomalies_, as well as his website [www.lileks.com](http://www.lileks.com) . He gives you plenty of atrocious 1950s and 1960s recipes there. The period love of aspics still bewilders me, but I understand that people in the Midwest still have a penchant for entombing vegetables like broccoli and peppers in fruit- flavored Jello-O. This seems to me like a Crime Against Nature. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/13 "2018-01-16T20:21:38Z")
I am southern, never heard of pineapple casserole. I have heard of a Ritz cracker pie. Broken ritz, apple juice, butter, in a pie crust. It is terrible. Oh I forgot cinnamon and sugar. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/14 "2018-01-16T20:24:36Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I am southern, never heard of pineapple casserole. I have heard of a Ritz cracker pie. Broken ritz, apple juice, butter, in a pie crust. It is terrible. Oh I forgot cinnamon and sugar. Well, heck, I’m not southern and I’ve heard of it – they used to print the recipe on the sides of boxes of Ritz crackers. I never knew of anyone who actually _made_ it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/15 "2018-01-16T20:42:01Z")
Oh, yeah I forgot where the recipe came from. I have eaten one, somewhere, IIRC it was nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/16 "2018-01-16T21:02:59Z")
I have heard of it, seen it, and eaten it. It is awesome! Of course, if you don’t appreciate a good pineapple sandwich, you’re likely not going to like the casserole. Or the very similar pineapple cobbler. That said, I have never encountered it as funeral food. IME people bring comfort food to the family - fried/baked chicken, roast, pot pies, desserts, breads, etc. Pineapple casserole is a pot luck food. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/17 "2018-01-16T21:22:19Z")
At least the casseroles down South are sweet and have some flavor. Go to a Protestant church event up north here and you’re likely to encounter a plethora of the dullest casseroles ever devised. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/18 "2018-01-16T22:11:19Z")
I’ve made this pineapple casserole you speak of with the Ritz and the cheese. It’s very good 😊! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/19 "2018-01-16T22:53:37Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Challenge accepted > > [Flying Jacob - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Jacob) > > Yecch! It’s actually nowhere near as bad as you might think. I made it a couple years back for the heck of it. I’d be curious to try this pineapple thing, too. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770/20 "2018-01-16T22:54:37Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > At least the casseroles down South are sweet and have some flavor. Go to a Protestant church event up north here and you’re likely to encounter a plethora of the dullest casseroles ever devised. Hey, a tater tot hot dish has its charm! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pineapple-casserole-what-the-hell/806770.md?page=2)