You Should Never Ask For Pineapple Pizza In Italy. Here's Why

While anchovies may be the most-hated pizza topping in America, according to a recent YouGov survey, pineapple isn't too far behind. Nearly a quarter of respondents (24 percent) chose the tropical fruit as their least favorite topping on a slice of pie. Whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza has long been one of the most heated debates of the culinary world — even celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has chimed in, previously tweeting about his hatred of the controversial trend.

While it may be true that many Americans dislike fruit on their pizza, based on the survey results, how do Italians feel about it? After all, Italy is where the beloved pizza was born, so it only makes sense for the Italians themselves to have the final say. We scoured the Internet to find out whether or not pineapple is an acceptable pizza topping in Italy — and what we discovered is bad news for the fruity pizza eaters among us.

As the birthplace of the OG pizza, Italy has every right to decide what does — and what doesn't, and what absolutely doesn't — belong on pizza. And it should come as no surprise that the majority of Italians tend to be what we'd call pizza purists: They stick to the toppings we all know and love that have been around since the beginning. Toppings like cheese, tomatoes, basil, pepperoni, and the like. Don't believe us? Just ask this Huffington Post writer from Florence, who says that if you order pineapple pizza in Italy, "you'll be greeted with a look of sheer horror by a flabbergasted waiter."

That being said, according to Independent, some Italian chefs have begrudgingly added pineapple as an optional pizza topping at their restaurants simply to satisfy American customers. Don't expect canned tidbits or rings, however — you'll likely get fresh-cut pineapple as the chef's compromise to lowering their pizza standards. (It wouldn't hurt to say grazie mille.)