# Why the vehement opposition to pineapple on pizza? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 27, 2021, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875 "2021-02-27T07:55:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/121 "2021-02-28T09:11:32Z")
“Cattle corn,” or corn otherwise used to feed livestock. There’s also multicolored and dried “Indian corn,” used to decorate dinner tables at Thanksgiving; and of course, popcorn. ETA: In reply to **Acsenray**. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/122 "2021-02-28T11:12:40Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > BTW, you ask to specify “sweet corn.” What other kind of corn is there? The word “corn” can sometimes be used to refer to other crops than maize in some parts of the anglosphere. Also, there are many different ways that maize is consumed. I was 99% sure **siam\_sam** was referring to sweet corn, but since the topic was weird things to put on a pizza, I thought it was worth confirming. Incidentally, I mentioned that I enjoyed sweet corn on pizza…I would add that I never thought of it as an unusual ingredient at all. Plenty of pizzas had it in my native UK, and I’ve also had pizzas in the Caribbean, China and Germany that also did. I’m surprised to learn it’s not commonly seen in the US, but ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/123 "2021-02-28T12:44:29Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Do you put other kinds of fruit on pizza? Raspberries? Raisins? Chunks of melon? > > Didn’t think so. Not so fast, there. Banana is a common enough pizza topping here (ham+pineapple+banana is a Caribbean vs the ham+pineapple Hawaiian) Me, I’m aware savoury+fruit is a combo older than dirt. or at least, as far back as Roman cooking. And really a thing in the Middle Ages. Personally, I love it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/124 "2021-02-28T12:57:20Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > The Italian position: Only Marinara and Margherita are “true” pizzas There are way more traditional Italian pizza styles than just these 2, whatever the Neapolitans say. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/125 "2021-02-28T13:23:00Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Do you put other kinds of fruit on pizza? Raspberries? Raisins? Chunks of melon? > > Didn’t think so. So why on earth would you put pineapple on pizza. > > (And yes, I know that certain pizza toppings, like peppers and tomatoes, are botanically fruit. They don’t taste fruity and they’re not used as fruit.). You’ve now prompted me to google it, and a local restaurant offers a pizza topped with blackberries and prosciutto — and, honestly, if you throw in a little basil and some olive oil, I’d pay to try that. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/126 "2021-02-28T14:38:40Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > The word “corn” can sometimes be used to refer to other crops than maize in some parts of the anglosphere. Also, there are many different ways that maize is consumed. > > I was 99% sure **siam\_sam** was referring to sweet corn, but since the topic was weird things to put on a pizza, I thought it was worth confirming. So what else might one be suggesting? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/127 "2021-02-28T14:40:47Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > “Cattle corn,” or corn otherwise used to feed livestock. There’s also multicolored and dried “Indian corn,” used to decorate dinner tables at Thanksgiving; and of course, popcorn. Are those things food options somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/128 "2021-02-28T14:46:37Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Are those things food options somewhere? Intentionally? I don’t think so. A friend of mine stole some corn from a farmers field. It was corn being grown to be dried for animal feed. Think the worst ear of corn you’ve ever had, and make it a bit worse. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/129 "2021-02-28T15:05:57Z")
I thought it was pretty clear from my last response. Are you trying to imply that me just clarifying “Sweetcorn?” was dumb? Because I already said that I was 99% sure he was referring to sweetcorn, but in a thread about weird things to put on pizza, and in the context specifically of other countries than the US, there’s potential ambiguity there, so I was just briefly double-checking. In answer to the question though, if you google the definition of “corn”, it tells you that in British English, the term is ambiguous: > [@Google dictionary](#): > > BRITISH > the chief cereal crop of a district, especially (in England) wheat or (in Scotland) oats. Previously I said “anglosphere”, maybe it’s only a British thing, or maybe other parts of the English-speaking world use the british meaning? I don’t know. Regarding maize, there are many forms of maize that are consumed. Hominy, ugali, cornmeal (which appears is used in some US pizzas), the aforementioned popcorn and others. It was worth the one-word confirmation check, even if I was thoroughly expecting the response “yeah, sweetcorn”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/130 "2021-02-28T15:16:27Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Are you trying to imply that me just clarifying “Sweetcorn?” was dumb? No. My questions are not sarcastic. They are sincere and genuine. I was wondering if you were wondering whether corn on a pizza could be something other than sweet corn, and whether those other possibilities are actually eaten anywhere. > [@Mijin](#): > > Hominy, ugali, cornmeal (which appears is used in some US pizzas), the aforementioned popcorn and others. It was worth the one-word confirmation check, even if I was thoroughly expecting the response “yeah, sweetcorn”. Sure, that’s fair enough. I just wanted to ascertain what the actual range of doubt was. I should imagine that someone meaning those other things would say “hominy,” etc., and not just “corn.” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/131 "2021-02-28T15:35:10Z")
One of my high school teachers was an aid worker or missionary or something in Czechoslovakia after WWII and told us about how unfamiliar Europeans were with corn for human consumption. Much of the food aid from the United States was canned corn, and the Americans were bemused by the way hungry Czechs would utilize it, like putting it between two slices of bread. No surprise that it ended up as part of other weird (to Americans) combinations like on pizza. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/132 "2021-02-28T15:49:20Z")
Interestingly, in South Africa, “sweetcorn” means specifically the _creamed_ canned kind. The non-creamed canned kind would be “kernel corn” > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > told us about how unfamiliar Europeans were with corn for human consumption _Polenta_, _kačamak_, lots of other regional corn porridges, all been around for centuries. Or did he mean specifically whole-kernel corn? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/133 "2021-02-28T15:53:34Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > In the US sweetcorn would be considered a crazy topping? I haven’t ever seen corn on pizza in the U.S. Though I’m pretty sure I have seen pizza with a cornmeal crust (probably taco pizza). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/134 "2021-02-28T15:55:55Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Or did he mean specifically whole-kernel corn? Yeah, like what comes in a can. Apparently, that looked like pig feed to them. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/135 "2021-02-28T15:56:24Z")
To me it’s just the foreignness of the thing - a sugary tart tropical fruit on a cheesy, doughy Italian food? It seems too outlandish to even think about. I never once tried it growing up, because we didn’t have a ton of money to waste experimenting with a food that’s _prima facie_ an unholy abomination. Same with anchovies, though as an adult I can be persuaded to explore the darker corners of salty deli-type food. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/136 "2021-02-28T16:06:51Z")
And yet, anchovies are a canonical pizza topping. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/137 "2021-02-28T16:17:50Z")
Not for us. Anchovies were the canonical item of “this must be on the menu just for shock value.” It might be a class thing; maybe we found those things exotic because we were untutored and unsophisticated. Which I still am, at least as far as pineapple pizza goes. It’s just unimaginable to me. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/138 "2021-02-28T16:21:38Z")
Anchovies and pineapple both seem like standard toppings to me, they’re just toppings that some people like to joke about disliking, but they’re pretty standard on menus. Corn, now that is a bizarre topping that I don’t think I have _ever_ seen. Someone asking for corn on pizza would definitely get a big WTF from me and I strongly doubt most (any?) pizza places would even _have_ corn! ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/139 "2021-02-28T16:23:16Z")
I wonder if it’s not so much the combination of savory and sweet ingredients as much as the combination of Italian and non-Italian ingredients that puts people off. Pepperoni, mozzarella, tomatoes, sausage, olives, even anchovies, are mainstays of Italian cuisine. Pineapple is not. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/140 "2021-02-28T16:25:51Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Corn, now that is a bizarre topping that I don’t think I have _ever_ seen. Someone asking for corn on pizza would definitely get a big WTF from me and I strongly doubt most (any?) pizza places would even _have_ corn! If you get pizza in Japan, corn is standard, and it’s not uncommon to see a sunny-side-up egg on top. Though odd, it was not bad. But it did not scratch my pizza itch very much. If you travel in Japan, be advised to relax your expectations about non-Japanese ethnic cuisine (except for Chinese and fast food). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875.md?page=8)