Some people find pineapple on pizza as a good combination of sweet and savory, while others consider it disgusting. The Hawaiian-style pizza, which typically includes tomato sauce, cheese and pineapple was actually invented in Canada by Sam Panapoulos in 1962. The dish was inspired by Chinese dishes that mixed sweet and savory flavors.

“Pizza tastes better with pineapple because I like how the flavors combine,” eighth grader Vimal Srinivasan said. While many enjoy this balance, others argue that the ingredients of pizza are meant to be salty, not sugary. These clashes of flavors often lead to a debate amongst people. 

“I personally think pineapples don’t belong on pizza because I don’t like warm fruits and I feel like it brings the flavor down,” seventh grader Olivia Yim said. 

The argument is often based on that fruit doesn’t belong on something that is considered a main course. The texture of the warm, juicy pineapple sometimes grosses people out and the acidity of the pineapple can make the pizza a soggy mess. 

“The sweetness of the pineapple complements the savory taste of the cheese and bread,” eighth grader Vihaan Sharma said. 

At first, Hawaiian pizza wasn’t as trendy as it is now, but despite the complaints, the popularity of the dish grew from a small Canadian restaurant to all sorts of fast food chains. 

In Australia, Hawaiian pizza was more than 15% of its pizza sales. Famous people even joined the debate, including chef Gordon Ramsay who hated the idea. Singer and songwriter Justin Bieber, who supported pineapples on pizza, further popularized it. On the other hand, the President of Iceland, Guoni Th. Johannesson, said for fun that he would ban pineapples on pizza if he could. The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, said it was a delightful treat as a response to Iceland. It looked very different from cheese and pepperoni, which made it stand out on the menu. 

“In my opinion, it’s disgusting and really bad. I don’t like it when sweet stuff is mixed with salty stuff. They don’t get along for me,” eighth grader Yashika Pant said.

Many people love Hawaiian pizza even though some people find it disgusting. It remains one of the most talked and debated foods in the world.