Take ham and pineapple, slap it on some crust with sauce and cheese, and you have yourself a delectable (to some) pizza that makes people think about tropical islands. Everyone knows this pineapple pie is called a “Hawaiian pizza,” but is there really anything Hawaiian about it? Here’s the “dish” about whether Hawaiian pizza is actually Hawaiian.
There’s nothing Hawaiian about “Hawaiian” pizza
The answer is a resounding “no!” There’s nothing Hawaiian about the “Hawaiian” pizza.
First things first, pineapples aren’t even native to Hawaii. They’re indigenous to South America and brought over to the Hawaiian Islands sometime in the 1700s. They might grow well in our tropical soil, but they’re not actually Hawaiian. In fact, people who live in Hawaii don’t even really eat pineapple that much.
Because Hawaiian pizzas have no basis in fact, many Hawaiian restaurants and pizza places don’t even serve them. They might have a ham and pineapple option, but they won’t call it a “Hawaiian Pizza.” Although technically, any pizza you eat in Hawaii is a Hawaiian pizza…
The history of “Hawaiian” pizza
Like I said, there’s nothing Hawaiian about the Hawaiian pizza, and that includes its creation. The Hawaiian pizza as we know it around the world was invented in 1962 by a Greek immigrant in Canada named Sam Panopoulos. After a trip to Naples, Panopoulos felt inspired to add some pizza to the menu at his Canadian restaurant.
At the time, most pizza restaurants were offering the same ingredients on all their pies: pepperoni, mushrooms, and bacon. Panopoulos wanted to add a little variety to his menu, so he started making a few more adventurous dishes.
One of his adventurous recipes, as you might have guessed, was a pizza topped with canned pineapple and ham. The brand of canned pineapple Panopoulos used was called “Hawaiian”—as Hawaii was one of the largest producers of pineapple at the time (and still)—so he named the new creation in its honor.
As the pizza become more and more popular, the name stuck. Today, all the pineapple and ham pizzas around the world are called Hawaiian pizza because a Greek immigrant in Canada grabbed a can of pineapples from Hawaii.
What Hawaiians really eat
Most of the misconceptions around the “Hawaiian” pizza comes from the fact that most people don’t really know what Hawaiians eat. And no, it’s not ham slices and pineapple.
Traditional Hawaiian dishes include:
Taro – A root vegetable similar to potatoes.
Poi – A dish made pounding fermented taro into a paste.
Breadfruit – A tropical fruit
Sweet potatoes
Fish – Including ahi tuna, kumu, butterfish, uhu, and nairagi (striped marlin)
Kalua pork – Shredded pork smoked in a sand pit.
Yes, pork (ham) is a traditional Hawaiian dish, but Kalua pork doesn’t look anything like those little strips on your Hawaiian pizza. It’s much more tender and flavorful! And, as you’ll notice, there’s not a mention of pineapple anywhere on the list.
Enjoy authentic Hawaiian cuisine all the time
If you really want to enjoy the flavor of the Islands—and not the canned pineapple you find in the grocery store—plan a visit! Or, better yet, you can learn to eat like a local and enjoy authentic Hawaiian cuisine all the time by becoming a local yourself!
There are plenty of properties available on the Big Island. Contact me, and I’ll help you find the perfect tropical escape of your dreams. It doesn’t matter if you like pineapple on your pizza or not; there’s something here for everyone.
Aloha, and welcome to Hawaii.