# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/141 "2021-02-28T16:40:21Z")
There exists corn which isn’t sweet, and people eat it. For example elote and esquites. Believe it or not a lot of tortillas and tamales are made from non sweet corn. ---
**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, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/142 "2021-02-28T16:48:05Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > 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. Naw, anchovies are common in Italy, in the ancestral versions of pizza. Or so I understand. That’s why I think they are canonical. They aren’t common on menus near me, though. They were more common when I was young, and when pizza was more closely ties to Italian neighborhoods. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/143 "2021-02-28T17:04:00Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Though I’m pretty sure I have seen pizza with a cornmeal crust (probably taco pizza). To me (US, west coast) it’s not at all unusual for any pizza crust to have a little cornmeal-like substance on the bottom. Not sure why it’s there, but it commonly is. ---
**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, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/144 "2021-02-28T17:06:18Z")
It’s there to keep the crust from sticking to the pan. And it’s pretty common, in my experience. I assumed a “cornmeal crust” meant something else. Although if it does, I’ve never seen one. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/145 "2021-02-28T17:07:15Z")
I thought that might be why, but wasn’t sure. Thanks! ---
**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:** [February 28, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/146 "2021-02-28T17:37:37Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > It’s there to keep the crust from sticking to the pan. And it’s pretty common, in my experience. I assumed a “cornmeal crust” meant something else. Although if it does, I’ve never seen one. There are a lot of recipes out there for Chicago deep dish that include some cornmeal in the crust, but the deep dish pizzerias here generally do not use cornmeal. And, yes, cornmeal or semolina is sometimes sprinkled is sometimes sprinkled on the peel to help the pizza slide off more easily when it’s being put in the oven. ---
**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:** [February 28, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/147 "2021-02-28T17:44:16Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I’m surprised to learn it’s not commonly seen in the US, but ignorance fought. Yes. I honestly don’t ever remember seeing corn as a topping here in the US. I had come across it pretty commonly in Europe, and all the expats found it exceedingly weird. My favorite was my first week or so living in Europe coming across a Dr. Oetker frozen pizza called “Big Americans: Supreme” with the following cover art: [![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5021879/uploads/editor/ji/h87y3j7su47w.jpg) ](https://us.v-cdn.net/5021879/uploads/editor/ji/h87y3j7su47w.jpg) My first thought: “Big Americans?” Should I be offended? Second, what the hell is on that pizza? That does not look like any slice I have ever seen in America. ---
**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, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/148 "2021-02-28T17:50:20Z")
Nice find, and what’s extra weird about the box: _“The real taste of the free world”_ 🤨 ---
**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:** [February 28, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/149 "2021-02-28T17:59:36Z")
Yeah, I was leaving that one for the reader to appreciate on their own. 🙂 That also is some godawful food photography. ---
**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, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/150 "2021-02-28T18:02:21Z")
Forget the toppings; what’s embedded in the crust? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/151 "2021-02-28T18:06:08Z")
Oh man, some of these pizzas. [![](https://static.openfoodfacts.org/images/products/400/172/402/3968/front_en.3.full.jpg) ](https://static.openfoodfacts.org/images/products/400/172/402/3968/front_en.3.full.jpg) ---
**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, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/152 "2021-02-28T18:22:28Z")
I’d try that. I think it’s like how soy milk is a lot less disgusting when you stop calling it milk. Call that a baked tuna melt instead of a pizza and it’s not that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/153 "2021-02-28T18:59:00Z")
That one gets a shudder from me mostly because of the thought of low-quality tuna fish cooked, frozen, and then reheated, all the time in the company of a bunch of onions. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/154 "2021-02-28T19:07:08Z")
Why the vehement opposition? Because people are so damned empty-headed. Combine that with an empty stomach, and things can get critical real quick. 😉 Another vote for the reason being salty vs. sweet. Dishes that combine the two are often pretty good once I get started, but beforehand I usually want one or the other. Sweet when I’m not really hungry and salty (and greeeezy) when I am. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/155 "2021-02-28T19:15:40Z")
I don’t like cooked pineapple, and I don’t like pineapple on pizza. Especially as it is usually paired with Canadian Bacon, which is flavorless. I dont like onions on pizza and I dont see the point of mushrooms, unless they are part of a all veg pizza. Now I dont hate people who order it, tastes differ. Anchovies? I can take them or leave them, but you _can’t_ order a half-anchovy pizza, the whole pizza will taste of 'chovies. But the question to the Op is- why do you want everyone to like hawaiian pizza? Cant we all eat what toppings we like? (I like sausage if it is good sausage.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/156 "2021-02-28T19:20:18Z")
Cornmeal pizza is enough of a thing around here that I can [buy it frozen](https://goodeggs2.imgix.net/product_photos/10kpNgaTPC1zsTUH5n0r_FK1A0780.jpg?w=840&h=525&fm=jpg&q=80&fit=crop). I never thought of it as a regional variation - is that not common outside of California? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/157 "2021-02-28T19:41:16Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > New York City’s water differs from Dallas’s to a noticeable degree, and some of the local foods (notably pizza, bread and bagels) taste better for it. Also, New York gets first crack at virtually all food ingredients. There might have been some truth to these assertions a long time ago, but come on. I’ve eaten food in New York, including pizza at independent pizza joints, and there’s nothing about it I can’t get in Toronto. Fresh food is available everywhere now, and restaurants are smart enough to know how the water is. The very highest level of restaurants in New York City offer some better food than can be found in most other large cities and certainly way more impressive than in smaller cities, but the idea that there’s some different about ordinary food in New York is absolutely not true now, and probably hasn’t been true for a really, really long time. > [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > If a chef at any level of the restaurant industry is working in Dallas, it’s because he washed out in New York or Los Angeles. I mean, this is just so preposterous. How exactly is it you think the world functions? Do you really, honestly think the guy slinging pizzas at Bill’s Pizza in Fort Worth is there because he flunked out of Mike’s Pizza in Brooklyn? Or do you think maybe it’s because _he’s from Fort Worth?_ ---
**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:** [February 28, 2021, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/158 "2021-02-28T23:21:17Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Sweetcorn? Sweetcorn goes really well on pizzas, particularly balancing out spicy meat. > In the US sweetcorn would be considered a crazy topping? It was not advertised as sweetcorn, just corn. I declined to try it, and in fact I can’t recall ever seeing sweetcorn in Thailand. Not saying it’s not there somewhere, but corn in general is not that popular there. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/159 "2021-02-28T23:23:47Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I mentioned that I enjoyed sweet corn on pizza … I’m surprised to learn it’s not commonly seen in the US, but ignorance fought. I’m pretty sure I’ve _never_ seen it in the US. My friends and I were all amazed to see it on the menu the first time we went to Pizza Hut in Glasgow. > [@MrDibble](#): > > Banana is a common enough pizza topping here (ham+pineapple+banana is a Caribbean vs the ham+pineapple Hawaiian) That sounds good. My wife thinks so, too. > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > 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. I’d try it. Google turns up a bunch of recipes, most which seem to have basil. There’s even one that adds nectarines, and one with peaches. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > it’s not uncommon to see a sunny-side-up egg on top. I had one of those in Toulon. I was not impressed. > [@Miller](#): > > Cornmeal pizza is enough of a thing around here that I can [buy it frozen](https://goodeggs2.imgix.net/product_photos/10kpNgaTPC1zsTUH5n0r_FK1A0780.jpg?w=840&h=525&fm=jpg&q=80&fit=crop). I never thought of it as a regional variation - is that not common outside of California? I’ve never seen it. (I grew up in the Midwest, and have lived in VA, HI, and CT.) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875/160 "2021-02-28T23:30:04Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > My first thought: “Big Americans?” Should I be offended? Second, what the hell is on that pizza? That does not look like any slice I have ever seen in America. That picture qualifies for the **[Lileks Institute Gallery of Regrettable Food](https://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/)**! P.S.- At this moment, the “Eww La La: French Cuisine” link is broken, which is too bad, as it had among the most puke-worthy of pictures. Hopefully it will be restored soon. But the other links work, and are well worth exploring! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-vehement-opposition-to-pineapple-on-pizza/933875.md?page=9)