PINEAPPLE is one of the most divisive pizza toppings, having launched a million arguments ever since it was first sprinkled on tomato-sauced dough and coated in cheese.
One point that has bubbled up in the war of words is that this heavily debated topping - one that has led to many, many pizzas around the world being called "Hawaiian" - was actually created by a Greek man in Ontario, Canada.
Is this true?
Verdict:
TRUE
Yes, it is true that Greek-born Canadian restaurant owner Sotirios "Sam" Panopoulos, first put this controversial topping on a pizza at his Chatham, Ontario restaurant.
As explained in the entry on Hawaiian pizza in The Canadian Encyclopaedia, the creation of the Hawaiian pizza came after Panopoulos opened the Satellite Restaurant with his brothers Elias and Nikitas in 1962.
"Similarly to other Greek-owned diners, their restaurant offered all-day breakfast and traditional American fare like burgers and pizza. Panopoulos eventually started experimenting with food trends like Americanized Chinese dishes," it said.
"The cuisine’s sweet and tangy flavours partly inspired Panopoulos to try putting ham and pineapple on pizza to attract customers," added the Encyclopaedia.
It goes on to say that the topping was controversial from the start, with some customers calling Panopoulos "crazy" for topping his pizzas with the canned sweet fruit.
However, the Hawaiian became a staple on the menu, as there was constant demand for it; this is something Panopoulos himself explained in a 2017 interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
"We tried to make some pizza. Along the way, we threw some pineapples on it and nobody liked it at first. But after that, they went crazy about it. Because those days nobody was mixing sweets and sours and all that. It was plain, plain food," he said.
As for why it’s called "Hawaiian", there’s an explanation for that too – and it’s rather down-to-earth.
It was named after the tropical island state as that was the brand of canned pineapple Panopoulos was using to make his pizza.
References:
1. https://www.
3. https://www.bbc.com/future/