36
votes
Tildes Survey #5: Pineapple on pizza?
Submit your response here!
- Direct link: https://survey.tildes.community/form/pineapple-on-pizza-5
- This survey closes on May 24, 2026 at 10:00 UTC
- The results will be published on May 24 shortly after the survey has closed. I'll edit this topic and post a comment about it!
The current plans for questions that will be asked in the coming weeks are as follows:
| Question | Survey opens | Survey closes |
|---|---|---|
| How old are you? | ||
| What country do you live in? | ||
| What country were you born in? | ||
| What languages can you speak? | ||
| Pineapple on pizza? | 2026-05-17 18:00 UTC | 2026-05-24 10:00 UTC |
| Surveys retrospective + Vote for the next 4 surveys | 2026-05-24 18:00 UTC | 2026-05-31 10:00 UTC |
You may notice a change to the schedule from last week! I have an idea I'd like to work out to make the surveys more customizable and easier to set up but that will take some time, that's why I'm deciding to have a fun in-between survey and next week we'll have the vote on the next surveys coming up. :)
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I started writing a multi-paragraph tirade about my disdain for people who hate a pizza topping enough to declare it doesn't belong on pizza, like they're the pizza police. But then I realized simply alluding to the rant was sufficient and much less work!
(yes it's delicious. Slap that stuff on a meat-lovers pizza or just simply with ham. The sweet somehow simultaneously offsets and lifts up the flavors of both toppings)
My biggest issue with pineapple on pizza is that... "pizza" needs to be properly defined to judge whether or not pineapple is a legitimate topping.
I live in the US, and most pizza places are basically just crappy dough with too many toppings. The Italian perfection has been discarded off to the side long ago (despite the crust names), and yes, I know that maybe the Greeks technically invented it. I grew up with grandparents both first-born in the US - Papa's family came from the Swiss-Italian border and had more pastas and pizzas. Grandma came from Bari and her family were fishermen, so more seafood and not so much the pasta/pizza, but they still had their own traditions. My aunt still makes my 2x-great grandmother's pizza: a doughy-puffy thing with some olive oil, sliced cloves of garlic, a can of stewed tomatoes strewn about, and topped with parmesan. She'll also do pepperoni versions (and let's talk about that: Italians do not put pepperoni [as us Americans know it] on pizzas - that goes on sandwiches!) because my cousins are 100% American, and I'm the oldest grandkid who had the Italian beaten into me: it's tradition or die!
But back to the topic: I now live in an area that is a hellhole of "Italian" and "Greek" restaurants that offer "pizza". It's meh at best, and I'm even talking about the North End (I am somewhat close to Boston and have easy access).
Also, my first job was working in my uncle's pizza parlour, and the head chef was strict on all the rules. We did not keep pineapple because that was not allowed on any food unless you're in Hawaii. Also, if anyone ordered more than 3 toppings or extra cheese, they basically didn't appreciate a good pizza. (Additionally, if you ever do make your own pizza, do not put any toppings and depending on the size, none or a very light amount of cheese in the middle. Often toppings will puddle up and make it too wet, and also that area doesn't need the garnishes. The rest of the pizza does! Also alsø, if you do pepperoni, layer them so you cover one half of the neighboring one. That way when they shrink and pull apart, you still have a loverly coverage!)
But as others have pointed out, "pizza" can easily be done with bbq chicken, or pickles, or ... the thing is, if you want it on your pizza, if you want to "ruin" your pizza with
too muchextra cheese, pineapple, linguica, or some fake vegan meat and cheese, it's your damned pizza and if it makes you happy, enjoy it while flipping everyone else the bird. :DFor too many years I was scammed with bad dough. I might not have cared if I hadn't had real pizza as a teenager (in a restaurant that's long closed, by a place where I used to learn windsurf). It was the highlight of my week and I never forgot the flavor and texture. As I previously mentioned on tildes, I finally said enough is enough and started making my own good quality pizza, and not eating any fake pizza.
I dislike pepperoni on pizza but my friends love it so I'll put it on for them. As for the other toppings, I have to disagree with italian tradition - almost everything is good, in the right combination! (But not too many at the same time.)
Pineapple is traditionally served as part of Rodízio because the sharp, acidic flavor will contrast with all the fatty meats and reset your palate. As long as it's good pineapple, I've found that it admirably fulfills the same role on pizza, providing a great (and tasty) counterpoint for a variety of fatty salty ingredients. It's hardly the only pizza topping that can have a strong, acidic flavor - a good tomato is a prime example!
I hope my assurance that I always add the olive oil (provided I'm not already using an unreasonably fatty topping, like pepperoni...) will somewhat redeem me in the eyes of every italian.
My trick for stopping certain vegetable toppings from making the center of the pizza wet (on anything less hot than whatever modified firing kiln they use at restaurants) is to pre-cook them a bit in a frying pan to evaporate the water. Works like a charm.
The problem I have with supposedly traditional Italian pizza around here is that the tomatoes (at least everywhere I've ever lived) are anything but. Even canned tomatoes that advertise being imported from Italy are almost flavorless these days. If I want good sauce on my pizza, I have to grow the tomatoes myself (or source them from someone who grows heirloom paste tomatoes) and then make my own sauce.
But if I buy tomatoes from a shop — or even worse, use canned tomatoes — than I really need additional ingredients to re-create the flavors that are missing from the tomatoes. I'm a vegetarian, so I usually use fine-chopped mushrooms in the sauce to add umami back in and a little pineapple (or sometimes pineapple juice) in the sauce to add sweet and sour back in. While it's not the same as a proper heirloom tomato sauce (nothing's as good as that, especially if I make from Amish Paste tomatoes, yum yum yum!) it at least has the right overarching flavor complex that makes pizza (and lasagna, spaghetti, etc.) oh-so-good.
If I get pizza from a restaurant, I usually ask them to add mushrooms and pineapple as a topping (in addition to whatever toppings I'm actually going for) to try to correct the flavor of the sauce. It's not as good as when I make my own sauce, but it helps.
I think the main part of the arguement that drives me insane is the non-pineapplers typically are not considering other types of pizza. I never personally want pineapple on a stock pepperoni pizza, but it's a must-have for hawaiian pizzas and great addition to chicken bbq!
I think there's a real case to be made for sweet or sour things to be pizza toppings, pineapple among those. As long as whoever's eating the pizza understands and accepts that there will be pineapple, that's all good and well.
Personally though I just don't like pineapple that much, pizza or not. I voted yes for freedom of choice but I'll never ask for it myself.
Missed opportunity. I'd have liked to have seen an 'If yes, what with?' follow-up.
I'm sure bacon/ham would be a big one, but I'm a huge fan of pineapple with green olives for that sweet and salty hit. I'm curious what other interesting pairing there are out there!
Jalapeno pairs extremely well with pineapple, from my experience.
I make jars of pickled carrots/jalapenos, and I'll often do a dash of the brine on my Hawaiian pizza. That green spiciness is a great combo with the acidic sweetness of the pineapple and the smoky fattiness of the ham.
Exactly, my go-to pizza order is pineapple, jalapeno, and red onion. It's basically just a salsa fresca on a pizza lol
Pineapple + feta is great.
I don't eat meat, but I really love pineapple with some good meaty mushrooms and jalapenos. And artichoke, too, if it's available.
I accept that Hawaiian pizza has a right to exist, but I fucking hate pineapple in general.
This may be the most contentious question this survey will ask, and it's only the fifth question.
It is funny how worked up some people can get over this though. I remember a worker at a pizza shop displaying toppings in the front said they hid the pineapple in the back because people would complain about just seeing it.
My "yes" needs context. Most pizza places I've tried do pineapple on pizza poorly - they just slap it on and throw the whole thing in the oven. The pineapple stays wet and doesn't heat evenly, leading to cool pockets where everything else is deliciously warm.
I've had a few good ones where the pineapple is grilled/seared beforehand. The sugars caramelize and the surface juices dry off while the inside stays moist. The entire fruit gets a better depth of flavor and the surprise cold pockets are eliminated, leading to a much better taste and feel. I genuinely believe that most pineapple pizza haters should try this at some point - it won't change every mind, but it will change some (like me!).
I do not enjoy pineapple on my pizza, but I'd give this a try.
OK I could see that being good. Like I've been to some places that drizzle honey on like a simple pepperoni pizza and it's REALLY good.
But yeah, the places I've had pineapple pizza, like you said, just toss it on there and it's wet and mushy...
I dislike pineapple on pizza but enjoy pineapple in general, so I'd be willing to give this a try and might really enjoy it. I think it's far enough from the norm for "pineapple on pizza" that I'm still comfy answering "no" on the quiz, though.
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@-mentionyou. :)You can put me on it, please!
Add me as well, please :)
Add me please
Please add me !
Moi aussi, s'il vous plait !
Not a fan of Hawaiian pizza but I do enjoy pineapple and jalapeños together, really great sweet and spicy combo.
"I want the pineapple pizza but without the pineapple"
– @PierogInTheButt
This poll does not allow me to voice my opinion and I am extremely upset. /s
My answer is "I don't care". I don't have it on pizza and you can do what you want!
You have to make a choice! The fate of the universe depends on it!
Fine!
You're basically asking if war crimes are OK or not!
As with many things, I take the libertarian view: "Hell no!" on my own pizza, but if that's your thing, I won't judge.
(I do enjoy pineapple, just not in this context.)
My wife has a sensitivity to pineapple. It causes her mouth to blister from the juices digesting her soft tissues. If you eat enough pineapple, it would happen to you too, it just happens to her right away. That being said: she would eat pineapple on pizza if she could. She loves it. Especially with ham.
In reality, there is no reason to not put whatever the hell you want on pizza. Some of my favorite pizzas were with unusual ingredients. One in particular was with mortadella and pistachios amongst other ingredients. Knowing that, why should you restrict yourself for anything delicious just because you have a weird preconception?
pickles are hype these days.
oi.
for a time tuna was really taking over by way of Sweden, but that cooled down. These days the toppings shift has kind of cooled down in favor of home cooks focusing on different styles; a lot of lloyd pans outside of the surge of pizza ovens (mostly NY or New Haven-style) from those :)
One of my favorite pizzas is just mortadella w/ pistachio, stracciatella (the inside of burrata), and a nice drizzle of pesto or an infused oil.
Finally. I was wondering when we were going to finally get into the substantive issues. This is a subject I can really sink my teeth into!
Edit: Oh...
Yeah, it's pretty good, I guess.
I don't really feel strongly about it one way or another, but I do like it on a Hawaiian with some pickled Jalapenos. I'll never reject it, but it's also not necessarily my first choice as far as toppings go.
Agreed.
On my regular pizza order, no thanks.
If I’m in the mood for a “Hawaiian” pizza? Absolutely.
I don't really like sweet/savory combos and I don't like pineapple. So for me the answer is no. But idgaf what anyone else gets.
It'll be interesting to see if people answer for themselves or for pizza in general.
According to ancient (i.e. before I was born) Canadian tradition, I should enjoy the Hawaiian pizza which is my birthright. It's... fine. The pineapple is great, I just don't like ham on pizza.
Otto Pizza in Cambridge, MA used to serve a pulled pork and mango pizza, sort of an uber-classed-up Hawaiian. It wasn't my favorite of their flavors, but I liked it. I'm curious what the pineapple haters think of that topping combo.
Personally, I think pineapple is a fine topping. It's not one of my go-tos, but I don't mind it. I admit I don't get the memetic hate for pineapple in particular, of all the weird things people put on top of pizza. Like, why pineapple and not fresh tomato (which has the same textural problems—you gotta pre-cook your tomatoes—as well as being gross and tasteless at anything less than the peak of the local season) or anchovies (just seems weird to me tbh) or, like, baked ziti (this is actually delicious, don't knock it 'til you've tried it)? People can obviously have their individual preferences, which I'm not judging, but the whole cultural thing about pineapple on pizza is strange to me.
I’m good with anything and everything on a a pizza, had some very creative pizzas in Japan that were delicious (also had the best Chicago style deep dish of my life there).
One of my favorite discoveries moving from the US to Australia is how much more socially acceptable sweet-sour-savory flavor profiles are here. Pineapple is very common on pizzas, burgers, etc., and I will never say no to it.
But I generally find Australia (at least around Melbourne) a lot more foodie and multicultural than the US, so I guess it's not really surprising.
A thousand curses to you, Bauke, for not making this a free-response. I say that in jest, all in good fun. In the state I live in, we're known for our barbecue pizza. I, personally, am not a fan of it, but to each their own.
Pineapple and New Mexico roasted green chile. That is all.
Pineapples should be eaten cold, not warm.
But also replacing tomatoes with pineapples in a pizza is a strat.