Moon-faced Assassin of Joy: I worked in pizza for nine years, and not only is it a good and common ingredient, most people who say it "doesn't belong on pizza" will like it on the right pizza. It's all about acid balance.

I worked in pizza for nine years, and not only is it a good and common ingredient, most people who say it "doesn't belong on pizza" will like it on the right pizza. It's all about acid balance.

Here’s a harsh truth: despite the haters, pineapple pizza is one of the world’s most globally ubiquitous (and popular) pizza toppings. I’ve been to a lot of countries, and pineapple pizza is widely available pretty much everywhere but Italy.

Folks who "don't like sweet/fruit on pizza" are generally fine with a tomato sauce with a lot of sugar in it - so just dial that back. Go with a savory or creamy sauce - Alfredo or Ranch, for instance - and use pineapple as the sweet/acidic component.

My personal preference is the Jerk Chicken we used to make - seasoned chicken, ranch, onion, tomato, pineapple, and mozzarella, with the addition of a pungent cheese (Asiago, parmesan) and some garlic. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Or, dial up the "hawaiian" to 11. BBQ base, pulled pork, red onions, jalapeños, bacon, and pineapple, with pepper jack and cheddar cheese.

I KNOW OF WHAT I SPEAK. bsky.app/profile/fain...

Here’s a harsh truth: despite the haters, pineapple pizza is one of the world’s most globally ubiquitous (and popular) pizza toppings. I’ve been to a lot of countries, and pineapple pizza is widely available pretty much everywhere but Italy.

Damn you, now I want pizza! :P

As long as it has mushrooms and pineapple on it, I’m good. 😁

Noodles?!

Oh that sounds so good

It absolutely is. Particularly on a thick focaccia or Sicilian-style pizza base.

Pineapple isn't indigenous to Hawaii, and Hawaiian pizza was created in Canada lol.

Hence the quotes.

That sounds spectacular

My favorite is pineapple with caramelized onions and sliced tomatoes, but it needs some spice from bbq sauce and grounding from feta or it winds up verging on dessert (Works with regular onions too, but caramelized onions are always better.)

Huh. I love pineapple on pizza but I DON'T much like sweetened "pizza sauce" - my Opinionated Pizza Take is that it should be crushed tomatoes with a little seasoning. (BUT I also wouldn't go for *just* pineapple. It's gotta be balanced with salty or spicy or onion. So your point holds.)

Agreed that I want all my tomato sauces less sweet

YES!! My go-to order is a white sauce base with pineapple and a nice salty olive or bacon! The Rockaway with pineapple and extra pepperoni is excellent as well

I don't get the Discourse on whether pineapple "belongs" on pizza. There are lots of people who don't like mushrooms on pizza (which is fine) and lots of people who do (like me). But we don't have a gigantic debate on whether mushrooms "belong" on pizza. Why should pineapple be different?

I always thought that pineapple would be fine as long as it was balanced with an equal amount of bacon.

Pineapple and pepperoni is where it's at!

Thanks to pizzas with ½ one topping & ½ another and those toppings not particularly caring about the pizza border, my favorite pizza ended up being a weird combo of my parents topping choices, and that’s why when I’m the only person choosing I get anchovy, shrimp, tomato, garlic, & pineapple.

I just consistently dislike the taste and/or texture of pineapple in combination with most things, but I will admit that my dislike of pineapple pizza, tho sincere, is still largely a performance for fun

I love pineapple on pizza.

My pizza of choice is the typical Pineapple+ Canadian bacon, but with bacon, an Alfredo base for medical reasons and ranch on top. Although may have to try a pineapple anchovy pizza given my new fixation with anchovies.

I wouldn't mind it, but I am really picky about the texture of bread, and I haven't had a pineapple pizza where the crust under each piece wasn't too soggy. (The same holds for other wet toppings including tomato chunks or slices.)

When I'm looking for a drier texture, I'll par-bake the wet ingredients together for a few minutes, and do a more well-done bake on top of that.

Might work!

that makes sense, because I don't care for it with anything but Canadian bacon, and I concluded it was indeed something about the balance between the fat and the sweet.

Texture, too - Canadian bacon has a nice thick bite to it, which provides solid textural variation.

Hell yes.

Way to make me feel unique with my "fruit doesn't belong in savory food" stance! 😁

That's a wild thing to do, categorically cutting out most French dishes, pretty much any seafood, and huge chunks of Thai, Chinese, and Indian dishes, and that's even ignoring that Tomatoes or Chilis are fruit.

Even just in Sweden, you're not a fan of Andesteg, or of Lingonberry sauces on meat?

I don't know what Andesteg is! Definite no to lingonberry sauce on food (even when I still ate meat).

It's not really a thing I "do", it's just personal preferences. But yeah, it definitely means there's a lot of dishes I don't eat! It's not based on botanical definitions though, but mainly the fact that they're sweet. I love tomato sauce but loathe fresh, raw tomatoes. 🤷

Still not convinced! Yet I love a gammon steak with pineapple or sweet and sour pork with (bell) peppers and pineapple in the sauce.

It "doesn't belong on pizza" frequently isn't a statement about whether it's good. It's a morality statement like "cheese doesn't belong on fish" or "children don't belong in the bar." Even if that 10yo mixes the best cocktails in the world, it's a cultural objection.

It's not my favorite pizza, but it can be good. The trick is getting the ham right so the saltiness balances the sweet pineapple.

My thing with that is that I genuinely think pineapple pizza must be so so good. Like I *get* why the sweet/acid tang of the pineapple versus the salty fat cheese and the savory tomato sauce must result in a perfectly balanced bite! However, I hate the taste of pineapple (and am allergic also) 😭

So pineapple pizza will therefore always remain a distant dream of incredible yumminess I cannot experience in reality... I just can't think of another ingredient that could deliver the same type of sweet/acid to properly enhance a pizza... maybe a sweet vinegar?

Bread and butter pickles, diced fine, particularly on a hamburger or bratwurst inspired pizza.

Apricot. Not that I have tried it, but I have had apricot in similarvroles in other dishes.

You know what, yeah - I wasn't thinking in this ballpark, but Peach would probably be pretty good too. Pair it with a fatty meat like thick-cut bacon or pulled pork, and maybe a yogurt-based sauce with greens and a balsamic drizzle once it comes out of the oven.

I'm willing to give pineapple another chance. My memories of having pineapple on pizza are all from my childhood, when my parents would order Papa John's with that as one of the toppings. Maybe on a pizza that doesn't taste like sugared shit, it would taste not-gross.

Also, my family was vegetarian, so this was pineapple without the bacon.

It is SO GOOD!

I think I might dislike it just due to texture issues/it being an unexpected texture, admittedly.

Throwing it under the cheese instead of on top (where it tends to firm up under direct heat) will give you a much softer texture, that fades into the sauce more.

now i'm wondering about using crushed and well-drained pineapple under the cheese. would it more fully melt into the sauce? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

i don't like pineapple chunks (flavor is . . ok, texture is . . eeeenh) so i don't want pineapple on MY pizza but i still don't understand the argument that it shouldn't be on ANY pizza i just pick the chunks off and give them to my delighted parents, and we are happy 😊

My personal stance is that it works really well on cheap & greasy pizzas, but its role is better served by alternatives on good quality pizzas. My favourite topping combo is pineapple, onion and garlic (the pineapple somehow makes the garlic stand out more), but

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