Italy at a crossroads over new pineapple pizza

Anyone who's been to Italy knows the unspoken food rules. For example, cappuccinos after 11 a.m.? Only for tourists. Spaghetti Bolognese? A crime. Pineapple on pizza? Unthinkable—until now, that is.

But 2024 may mark the year that pineapple pizza finally wins over Italy, thanks to Gino Sorbillo, the legendary Naples pizza master, who’s introduced 'ananas' to his menu in Via dei Tribunali, the famous pizza street in the heart of the world’s pizza capital.

Sorbillo, a third-generation pizza maker, shared with Dinogo that his creation was intended to challenge food prejudices.

“Unfortunately, people tend to follow the crowd, letting others’ opinions or hearsay shape their own,” he said.

“In recent years, I've noticed that many people reject certain ingredients or cooking methods simply because they were unfamiliar in the past. So, I decided to put these controversial ingredients—often treated like poison—onto a Neapolitan pizza, and make them delicious,”

Preparing it in the heart of Naples, a city with over 3,000 years of history, Sorbillo, who has 21 restaurants worldwide, including in Miami, Tokyo, and Ibiza, was also making a powerful statement.

The pineapple is first prebaked in the oven, then cooled. Afterward, Sorbillo adds smoked provola (a local cheese from Campania), extra virgin olive oil, and fresh basil before baking it in his traditional wood-fired oven.

Once the pizza is out of the oven, he sprinkles delicate “micro shavings” of two types of smoked cacioricotta cheese along the crust: one from Sardinian goats and the other from buffalos in the nearby Cilento region.

“It really enhances the flavor,” he said.

The controversy begins

Whether it's tasty or not, pineapple on pizza is still sacrilege for most Italians. His new creation, which he unveiled on social media this week, has not been well received by many. According to Sorbillo, it has sparked 'outrage', with insults flooding social media, and even being debated on national television.

However, Sorbillo claims that those brave enough to try it have been pleasantly surprised and positive in their feedback.

“Before I made the public announcement on social media, I quietly added it to the menu for a couple of weeks without any fanfare. Surprisingly, many customers, including Neapolitans, ordered it,” he shared.

“But Italy is divided on this. And it's not just Italy. The debate has sparked all sorts of discussions. I believe people aren't generally curious—they’re just suspicious of anything that’s different,” he said.

Barbara Politi, a food journalist who immediately traveled to Naples to try the new pizza, gave it a positive review.

“It’s delicious, fresh, and I’m all for it,” she said. “Did you know pineapple has been part of European cuisine since 1493, when Christopher Columbus encountered it in Guadeloupe and brought it back to Europe?”

“When Sorbillo introduced it, I was curious and decided to research how long pineapple has been part of European food culture. Turns out, it's been around for centuries. So, really, it’s more about mindset and changing taste preferences,” she added.

“I liked it. It's a bit like sushi – at first, you might not be sold on it, but before you know it, it becomes an obsession.”

For Sorbillo, adding pineapple to pizza is just another example of the bold topping combinations that pizzaioli have been experimenting with in recent years.

“In recent years, we’ve been using ingredients that weren’t even thought of five or six years ago. Now, we top pizzas with speck from Alto Adige, mortadella that wasn’t used a decade ago, chopped pistachios, powdered olives, mozzarella foam, and even jams. Why not give pineapple another chance? Pizza has been evolving for the past five or six years.”

He admitted that his pizza-making ancestors would likely be “perplexed” by his pineapple creation, but added, “You should taste something before forming an opinion. In the past, even ham and arugula were controversial pizza toppings, but now they’re classics.”

However, there is one thing he refuses to do: start with a tomato base.

“That’s another fruit,” he explained. “With two acidic fruits, it just wouldn’t work. Instead, I use three types of smoked cheeses, which completely transforms the pizza, giving it a whole new flavor.”

He believes the history of the Hawaiian pizza, which uses tomato, has led people to dismiss it without experimenting, as he did.

“Of course, there’s always backlash from those who say it shouldn’t be done. But why are they so offended? No one’s forcing anyone to order it,” he remarked.

“Pairings are crucial in cooking. When ingredients complement each other well, the result is delicious. The fact that food lovers are trying it means we’ve succeeded,”

In fact, Sorbillo has already used the criticism as an opportunity to create yet another controversial pizza.

“When the pineapple pizza was launched, someone challenged me, saying, ‘Now make a ketchup pizza.’ So, I did,” he laughed. “And, of course, more controversy followed.”

But this wasn’t just any ketchup pizza; Sorbillo used a homemade sauce made from red and yellow Italian datterino tomatoes, served on a white base with smoked provola cheese. He filmed himself triumphantly eating it, surrounded by bottles of his own homemade ketchup, declaring it 'delicious.'

“Sometimes, you only need to change one ingredient or tweak one step in the process, and it transforms into something entirely new,” he explained.

“I’m confident that before long, pineapple pizza will make its way onto the menus of other pizzerias in Naples – and beyond,”