WHY PINEAPPLE’S BACK ON PIZZA

ONE of the reasons for the resurgence of pineapple is the renewed popularity of the Hawaiian pizza, a combination of pineapple chunks, tomato sauce, cheese and ham invented in 1962.

Its creator, Canadian Sam Panopoulos who died last year, explained: ‘We just put it on, just for the fun of it. We were young in the business and we were doing a lot of experiments.’

It is thought to have gained popularity among U.S. soldiers returning from Asia, who missed the sweet-and-sour foods they had discovered there, and was named after the state that was one of the biggest pineapple producers.

The experiment has divided opinion. Last year Iceland’s president said he’d ban pineapple on pizza if he could, provoking protests on social media, including Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.

Meanwhile, despite its critics, research by Sainsbury’s showed that one in four pizza fans had bought a Hawaiian in the last two years.