As someone who enjoys pineapple on pizza (but only when paired with things like ham or bacon; it doesn’t go along with most other toppings), I am bemused and baffled by the rage that many people express against pineapple on pizza. Some Internet comments have joked that it ought to be regarded as a war crime against humanity.
Is it that they don’t like sweet toppings on what ought to be a salty food? But I’ve never heard people complain about the special dessert pizzas that feature things like baked apple, chocolate or sugar-cinnamon glaze. BBQ sauce is sweet, and many people don’t mind it when it’s offered as a Papa John’s substitute for tomato sauce.
I don’t mind the taste of pineapple on pizza so much, but I have to admit the difference in texture between the pineapple chunks and the pizza dough makes for a disconcerting gastronomic experience; more so if the chunks are large relative to the other toppings.
I’ve never had a dessert pizza, but I believe that they are not generally savory — they seem closer in intent to cinnamon toast or a waffle.
BBQ sauce pizza is borderline strange but acceptable: savory with a touch of sugar. But pineapple is about the closest thing to a plant-grown SweeTart. I have to be in a peculiar mood to want a SweeTart, or a hunk of pineapple. An Hawaiian sundae is fun (mixing sweet with sweet), and bits of pineapple in a sweet, hot curry is a nice sensory experience.
I’m not much of food/drink purist, and people can eat what they wish (no live baby ducks pretty please), but if you’re ordering for the whole group, I’d rather not get a SweeTart pizza. Or aluminum foil shards. Or pineapple.
I think it’s because the combination still seems jarring and weird to many people. It brings to mind the odd food combinations women supposedly crave when they’re pregnant. That said, I do like pineapple on a pizza. In terms of accompanying meat, however, I prefer pepperoni over Canadian bacon mainly because I like the mix of sweet and hot/spicy.
On a side note, how do people feel about pineapple as a Mongolian BBQ ingredient?
That’s precisely why I’m opposed to pineapple on pizza. Sweet toppings do not belong on pizza. I would not eat chocolate, apples, or sugar cinnamon glaze on one, either. But some people won’t eat anchovies, either, although that’s my preferred topping. It’s all just a matter of personal taste.
A significant number of people just don’t like pineapple.
Combine that with number of people who don’t like anchovies, and even in share house with hungry teenagers, there was limited demand from people welcoming a slice of my preferred topping of garlic pizza, pineapple and anchovies.
I think its the salt vs sweet thing. Last Friday we had pizza from a new place and the sauce was sweeter than usual. People said it was good. Yesterday, we had pizza from a different pizza place and the sauce was saltier. I’m a little sensitive to salt as I don’t use it, but everyone thought it was good also.
TL;DR - It’s different, but sometimes different is good.
I don’t say that pineapple does not belong on pizza. I won’t eat pizza with pineapple but far be it from me to dictate what you eat on your pizza. Neither will I eat the “dessert pizzas” nor one with barbecue sauce. I don’t even care if you eat a hot dog with ketchup.
Eat your food the way you like it. Just don’t expect me to eat it.
Although Freud didn’t have a pizza chain, he did come up with the idea of the “narcissism of minor differences.” So how do you mark yourself as a better pizza lover than your neighbour? Be the pizza lover with arbitrary standards deriding one of the 20 or 30 odd toppings that most pizza chains offer.
Personally I think the only toppings allowed, other than sauce and cheese, should be Melbourne’s garlic, pineapple and anchovies. With the addition of onions and olives of course. And maybe mushrooms and red/green peppers - I know people that pick them off.
It is simple, if you’re from the North East you take great pride in Pizza, real Italian-American Pizza. Now the Chicago Deep Dish thing is one thing, that is friendly rivalry, but to have Californians pollute our food in such a way is a offense. It is no longer pizza but yet another West Coast insanity.
Do you know what state has the most Italian-Americans? New Jersey.
If you’re actually from The City, then you’re automatically a little Italian (and a Little Jewish). So all New Yorkers, even those of Asian descent know California can’t make a real pizza, but something closer to frozen at best.
The above is somewhat true, but in the end, almost no one really cares.
Though it is true NYC has the best Pizza in the world.
I like it in the right combination. Chefs know that your tongue detects five tastes and they concoct all sorts of ways to stimulate two or more of those tastes in the same dish. Salty and sweet is no more offensive than sweet and sour, or sweet and bitter. Whether you like salty and sweet in the same bite or not is strictly a matter of taste (figuratively and literally). But the problem comes when people don’t just criticize the taste of pineapple on pizza, they criticize other people who like it.
If it’s not the taste, I think it’s about preserving some sort of cultural purity. There are certain things some people just see as “wrong” like mustard on hamburgers, ketchup on eggs, or bacon on ice cream. But there is nothing objectively wrong about any of those.