The Biggest Meals Debate: sixteen Causes Why Individuals Might Scoff at Pineapple on Pizza

Why does the combination of sweet fruit on top of a savory vessel of cheese and red sauce get people so riled up? The passion surrounding the pineapple on pizza debate is potent. It’s reached all corners of the internet, causing chaos and bedlam to erupt on virtually every plausible platform. Before firing back against an anti-pineapple pizza eater, have you considered why they may get queasy at the thought of the fruit-topped pie? Maybe, rather than firing back at the criticism over a dish you may enjoy, it’s time to look at why people get so fired up over such an unimportant topic.

Before we begin, I should disclose that pineapple pizza is by far my favorite kind of pizza. It’s delicious, and nobody will ever convince me otherwise. However, I will do my best to remain impartial.

1. Some Hate the Taste

Let’s start with the most obvious and reasonable cause for the passionate debate: people hate the taste. Not every dish and flavor combination will appeal to everyone, as we all have different taste buds and preferences. It’s perfectly okay not to be into a pineapple on pizza. I won’t hold it against you.

Despite my affinity for pineapple on pizza, I know it can be a lot of acidity for some. Both tomatoes and pineapple have that bite, so if you need to cut it down, I recommend going with light or no sauce. Don’t worry. So long as there’s dough and cheese, you can still call it a pizza.

2. The Texture and Taste Depend on Ripeness

It may not even be a matter of completely hating the taste of pineapple but instead an issue of when it’s too acidic or sweet. Pineapple changes flavor at different stages of ripeness, and everyone has their preference. Depending on how ripe it is, you may bite into a piece that takes your pizza from a savory delight to something more sugary and sweet. Try to experiment with pineapple of different ripenesses. Maybe you’ll find the right flavor profile to help you understand why people love pineapple pizza.

3. It’s Trendy To Hate on It

People love to hop on bandwagons because of societal pressure and several other complex concepts that would require a deep dive into sociological and psychological theories to explain. So, let’s put it this way: some people love to follow what others say to fit in. Don’t be a lemming. Make up your own mind about pineapple on pizza. Who knows, maybe you’ll stumble across a new favorite dish. And anyway, the worst-case scenario is you won’t like it. No harm, no foul for trying to go against the grain.

4. Not Everyone Likes Sweet and Savory Together

Some people are adamant about sweet things being sweet and savory foods being savory. I get it. They want things to be uncomplicated and easy to appreciate. I am always down for a nuanced combination of different flavor profiles, but not everyone is adventurous (and that’s okay). here may be some variation as to the degree of each, but there’s really no way around this. Pineapple will always be sweet, and the core ingredients of pizza will always be savory.

5. Warm Fruit Can Seem Gross

This opinion is more common than you may think. Plenty of people don’t enjoy warm fruit under any circumstances. These people typically hate fruit pies, compotes, fruit sauces, and, of course, pizza with fruit. A chilled, refreshing bite of fruit is heavenly, and some won’t have it any other way. Unless you really like cold, leftover pizza, if hot fruit is something you scoff at, pineapple pizza is simply not for you.

6. People Are Scared To Try It

Yes, I said it. Pineapple on pizza is not a staple in many households, so those who grew up never seeing or trying it may simply be stubborn or hesitant. To those who group up in a pineapple-free household, it may almost seem like a joke. Fruit on pizza? It sounds so extraterrestrial to pizza eaters used to more savory toppings.

While kids are usually labeled as picky eaters, adults can be just as picky and unwilling to try new things. No matter how hard you press, you’ll never get them to budge from their culinary bubble. A culinary bubble, as it were, that’s typically lacking in delicious, exotic flavors.

7. A Pineapple Allergy

No, we don’t mean in the “I hate something so much, I’m just going to say I’m allergic to avoid eating it” kind of way. It’s rare in that it affects less than one percent of the population, but someone can be allergic to pineapple. Much like a peanut allergy, the severity can vary. So, while they may want to take a big bite of pineapple pizza, they must weigh the risk of winding up in the hospital.

As adamant as you may be to get them to try it, don’t sneak a little pineapple juice on a slice of pizza to test them. Nobody wants to be in the hospital because of a fruit allergy. It’s embarrassing.

8. It’s a Divisive Issue

Similar to my comment about it being trendy, some people just like to take a hard stance for or against something. People may only sort of dislike pineapple pizza but will advocate avidly against it because they know it’s divisive enough that someone in the room will likely side with them. It’s definitely a weird stance to take for popularity’s sake, but don’t put it past anyone. In this age where we aspire for virality for everything we say and do online, you can guarantee at least one “I hate pineapple pizza” post on Twitter has been done for engagement.

9. People Hate Pineapple

Earlier, we talked about hating the combined taste of pineapple and sauce. But what if you just dislike pineapple altogether? It’s true. The hate for pineapple pizza sometimes has nothing to do with the pizza! If you don’t like pineapples in general, why on earth would you enjoy them when they’re added to a pizza? However, hating pineapple is an opinion that riles people up and ignites debate. If someone tells you they don’t like pineapple, just leave them be. They may feel left out, being unable to enjoy one of Mother Earth’s most delectable fruits.

10. They Think Fruit Doesn’t Belong on Pizza

People who are passionately against pineapple on pizza may feel that of the many toppings that can and should go on a pizza, fruit is not one of them. You may be picturing the full-blooded, native Italian ranting in their native tongue about how fruit doesn’t belong on pizza. However, Italians know the true secret about the local delicacy — it already has fruit in it.

Now is a good time for me to remind everyone that tomatoes are fruit, so this argument doesn’t hold up very well.

11. It’s Not Traditional

Some pineapple pizza haters despise the combination because they find it offensive to the concept of pizza. Again, it’s not even necessarily Italians. Some folks just like to keep things traditional, and pineapple was certainly not added to the original recipe for pizza, so they think it’s wrong. The reality is, though, that the pizza we get delivered to our homes isn’t even traditional. If you want a real traditional pie, you need a Neopolitan crust. Unlike a New York-style pizza, Neopolitan dough is chewy, crispy, puffs out around the edges, and usually has a bit of char from the wood-fired oven.

12. It’s Their Whole Personality

People get caught up in making frivolous things their entire personality. They may see someone say it online and think, “Yes! That’s how I am today!” and then suddenly, likely without even trying it, they’re a hater of pineapple pizza. Does it make sense? Absolutely not. They’re robbing themselves of a delicious meal for no real reason. Heck, I’d accept the “fake allergy” excuse over the “It’s just how I feel this week” alternative.

13. Fruit and Cheese Together Seem Weird

For some people, it’s not so much the combination of pizza and pineapple as it is the combination of cheese and pineapple that disturbs them. However, in general, fruit does pair nicely with cheese. If you’ve never had apples with brie, you are missing out. I wouldn’t go home and crust pineapple in shredded parmesan, but I also wouldn’t write off pineapple and mozzarella just yet. The melted mozzarella has such a mild, sometimes salty flavor that the pineapple balances nicely.

14. Pineapple Makes Things Soggy

Let’s be real here. A base component of pizza is a heavy liquid. The pie may be crispy when it comes out of the oven, but before long, it’s going to be a soggy mess. Pineapple would only be worse than sauce if it’s not prepared properly, and by that, I mean it’s dumped right out of the can onto the pizza. Side note: don’t use canned pineapple. It is going to retain more liquid than the fresh alternative, and it won’t have the same flavor profile.

15. It Ruins the Pizza

If any of the above rings true to you, then yes, pineapple on pizza will ruin your pizza-eating experience. Let’s be real, though. How often are you at a gathering or event where pizza is the food of choice, and all that’s left is a big ‘ole pineapple pie? Unless your lying or have weird friends or family members, the answer is never. Because it is such a hot-button issue, it will be incredibly rare for someone to order a bunch of pizzas and assume that adding pineapple to one is okay.

16. It’s Just a Joke

For many, the hate for pineapple on pizza is nothing more than a light-hearted meme. If you spend any time online where people discuss pineapple on pizza, you’ll see that some do not find it funny and take it very seriously. However, many people think pretending it’s an offensive abomination is funny. We’d venture that at least a quarter of the anti-pineapple chatter you’ve encountered is either overstated or a joke.