Pizza Hawaii??

It’s always a topic for discussions. Is a pizza with pineapple acceptable?

I always think the discussion about authenticity is a bit artificial. Before the 15th century there were no tomatoes in Italy, no potatoes in Netherlands and no chilis in Asia. So authenticity of dishes is always a bit subjective. Luckily kitchens evolve, and do not remain the same for hundred of years.

The reason I would never order a Pizza Hawaii is I have never seen one with proper ingredients. Most of the time it is canned pineapple and cheap ham. So reading a recipe for a quality Pizza Hawaii by Great British Chefs made me curious.

Their version is quite elaborate, so I created my own simplified version, which actually tasted really good.

I made a tomato sauce with red onion fried in butter, garlic, gochujang and a tin of tomatoes.

The pork belly with some vinegar, salt, pepper and smoked paprika I prepared in the oven (150 degrees Celsius) for two hours. The fresh pineapple I fried for a few minutes in butter.

Of course I baked the pizzas in our wood oven. The spicy gochujang, the sweet pineapple and the smoky meat make into great, non-authentic pizza.