How did Hawaiian pizza appear and why does it have many enemies?

Pizza is one of the most popular dishes in the world. A special attitude towards it is due to the fact that there are a huge number of pizza recipes with a variety of ingredients. Everyone can choose an option to their taste or add their favorite products at their own discretion. Pizza forgives many liberties, but there is still one recipe that causes constant controversy. This is Hawaiian-style pizza, which has divided lovers of the iconic fast food into two irreconcilable camps.

Despite its name, Hawaiian pizza did not originate in the Pacific Islands, but in Canada. It was invented in 1962 by Greek migrant Sam Panopoulos. He owned a small restaurant called Satellite in Chatham, Ontario, which served North American hamburgers, pancakes and fries. There were several types of pizza on the menu.

At that time, pizza was just beginning its triumphal march across the planet. The number of components was quite meager. Mostly we ordered pizza with cheese, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and sausage. Sam wanted to invent something new, original, and break stereotypes.

The restaurateur began offering visitors pizza with ham, salty sauce and pineapples. At first, the guests of his establishment reacted coolly to Sam’s idea. New pizza was rarely ordered, mostly out of curiosity, and sometimes left uneaten. But then the residents of Chatham tried the new taste and began to actively buy the dish.

The unusual combination of meat and tropical fruit, salty and sweet, was liked by many. Hawaiian pizza has become popular not only in Canada and the USA, but also on other continents. In Australia they love it so much that they order it as often as the classic Margarita or Pepperoni.

But why Hawaiian pizza? Was the title created by the author to intrigue buyers? Yes and no. Of course, “Hawaiian” sounds exotic and attracts attention. But there is a possibility that it got its name due to the fact that all pineapples in the USA and Canada were supplied for many years from the Hawaiian Islands. By the way, the inventor of the new taste was nicknamed “The Lord of Pineapples.”

As for the controversy surrounding this product, it began to flare up immediately after its appearance. Many believe that Panopoulos mixed incompatible products and got a strange and unpleasant taste. The most outraged are the Italians, who gave the world pizza. They insist that only tomatoes, meat, sausage and cheese can be added to it. The aversion to pineapple on pizza has even given rise to memes with the advent of the Internet.

Gourmets believe that the sweet and sour taste of pineapple overpowers the taste of mozzarella, an integral ingredient of real pizza. Moreover, hatred of Hawaiian pizza is not limited to Italians. The President of Iceland, Thorlasius Johannesson, made an unusual statement at a meeting with students in 2017. He said that if given such powers, he would ban pineapple pizza on the island. There is nothing strange in his speech, because Icelandic politicians often make extravagant statements.