Pineapple on pizza? Ukrainian restaurateur explains why Italians take offense
Is pineapple pizza an insult to Italians? (Photo: Freepik)
Pineapple on pizza is often a meme-worthy joke, but for many Italians, it's not just a reason to laugh — it's almost a personal insult. That's because Italian cuisine is more than just food. It's part of the national identity, says Mykola Oleksiv, a Ukrainian restaurateur from Naples, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
According to him, pineapple pizza is truly a "red rag" for many Italians.
"Pineapple on pizza for them is something like a culinary 'sacrilege' that breaks all the rules. They take their cuisine very seriously," Oleksiv said.
He added that Italians often react to this dish with irony and even a bit of indignation, believing that pineapple has no place in the classic Italian pizza flavor.
Italians believe pineapple doesn't belong on traditional pizza (photo: Freepik)
As for fried spaghetti, Oleksiv said, it tends to provoke more irony than anger.
"It's more of a culinary oddity and a meme that Italians laugh at, rather than a serious dish. They believe that pasta shouldn't be overloaded with oil or fat, as is sometimes done in certain variations, and that simplicity and the quality of ingredients are key," Mykola explained.
While these dishes do come up in culinary conversations, they are often used as jokes or ways to highlight how seriously Italians take their gastronomic heritage, he added.
