Why is it so popular and at the same time so hated?
It's not Hawaii that you should thank or blame, it depends on your perspective, writes the BBC.
As reported: Fakta.today
The man credited with giving the world ham and pineapple pizza was neither Hawaiian nor Italian.
Sam Panopoulos was a Greek immigrant to Canada who, along with his brothers, ran a restaurant in Chatham, Ontario.
Panopoulos recently visited Naples, the birthplace of pizza, and was inspired to start adding this Italian specialty to the usual offerings of hamburgers and pancakes.
But what to put on it?
Panopoulos broke away from the standard toppings of the time, such as mushrooms and peppers, and turned to inspiration from the South - in this case, sweet and sour flavors that characterized the American version of Chinese food.
Based on pizza with cheese and tomato sauce, he added canned pineapple and slices of ham, possibly under the influence of the sweet-salty taste of Chinese dishes that combine pork and pineapple.
Depending on which side of the divide you stand, a classic dish or culinary crime was born.
Few foods divide as dramatically as ham and pineapple pizza.
In many parts of the US, UK, and Australia, it seems that few pizza menus are complete without it.
However, in Italy, this duo is generally considered an abomination. This has even led to international disputes between world leaders and diplomatic intervention.
Why is it so divisive? "I think it could be called a fusion food before that term became popular.
And of course, sweet taste is the most popular, so in this sense, it's an easy win," says Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist studying at the University of Oxford how our different senses influence our perception of food.
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