by Science McScientist
image via Good Free Photos
It is a commonly-held belief that pineapple, being a fruit, should not be put on pizza. Some regrettably misled souls even call it an “abomination”, a “crime”, or “utterly disgusting”. Indeed, the president of Iceland went so far as to say that he would establish a ban on pineapple pizza, were it within his power, and Gordon Ramsay himself stated that “pineapple does not belong on pizza”.
However, all these opinions are, in fact, incorrect. Pizza and pineapple form a delightful combination that is by no means whatsoever repulsive. 53%(YouGov), the majority of the British population, agree with this sentiment. The sweet, juicy nature of the pineapple perfectly complements the slightly saltier note of the ham, and the mellowness of the cheese covering them both just adds the ideal finish.
Furthermore, the supposedly despicable combination of sweet and savoury that is often cited as an argument against pineapple pizza loses all validity immediately if one considers, for example, ancient Roman, Indian, or Chinese cooking traditions. The Romans coated meat in honey and sprinkled pears with pepper, in India lentils are served with mango, and some Chinese sweets have a filling made of bean paste. Even ketchup, that most basic of sauces, usually contains large amounts of sugar, and most people have no problem dipping – or even soaking – their very decidedly savoury chips in that.
And for those notorious, stubborn naysayers who will not let other people enjoy their pizza in peace, let it just be said that there are far worse things to choose for a topping. More than every third Brit would like to put an end to anchovies on pizza, in Italy you sometimes find “wurstel” on the menu, and New Zealand’s Dominos offers Apricot Chicken, a creation featuring “succulent chicken, red onion, capsicum, & mozzarella topped with Apricot sauce”.
Cheers to that.
(A counter argument to this piece will be published in the next edition)
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