Arguably, the most controversial topic of the modern world is pineapple on pizza. With just those three words, you’ve probably either screamed in agony or excitement. Almost everyone has an intense opinion on whether the sweet fruit belongs on the savory pizza or not. Let’s discuss it, but first, we have to understand the history behind pizza and its origin. A cook, Raffaele Esposito, prepared a pizza for Queen Margherita of Savoy on June 11, 1889. The pizza was garnished with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and basil to represent the nation’s colors of white, red, and green. Thus, creating margherita pizza, the first form of pizza with toppings.

So, right off the bat, we have tomatoes, a fruit. This poses my first question. Why are tomatoes allowed, but pineapples are judged, degraded, and sometimes banished from pizza? Sounds a lot like prejudice to me. If we had a chat with our buddy Esposito, what would he think? He pretty much formed the modern day expectations of pizza. Back then, pizza was flat bread and spices. Thanks to him, cheese, tomato paste, and other toppings are now added to pizza too. Pizza originated from creativity, not confined by any strict rules.

Now, let’s discuss the problem people have with Hawaiian. Some people just don’t like pineapple, which is fine, we will respect your opinion and not degrade or attack you for it. I’m not saying that all you pineapple haters are pretentious either, just your representatives. In my experience, I’ve been verbally assaulted for my opinion with remarks such as,“Eww, that is gross! How do you eat that trash?” I’ve also seen multiple Twitter posts bullying those who enjoy the delicious, succulent fruit on pizza. Everyone has a preference. What is so extreme about this one, I am not sure. But what can be said is that individuality and freedom are two wonderful things that should be appreciated. What if everyone’s favorite color was red? What if we all listened to the same music and ate only the same foods? The world would be a much more boring place. As for these “weird” food combinations, it’s important to look back at the history of food. Did we just think peanut butter and jelly go together naturally? No, it didn’t. As for pizza, one can put anchovies on it, and that is more accepted than pineapple. This harmful stigma of what is to be and not to be on certain foods is harmful. Having a harsh opinion doesn’t make you a better person, just like enjoying pineapple on pizza doesn’t make you a worse one. Bottom line is, whether you’re disgusted or delighted, we need to learn acceptance and appreciate diversity of all kinds.