Hawaiian pizza is a Canadian invention.

Hawaiian pizza is a Canadian invention.

Sam Panopoulos claimed that he created the first Hawaiian pizza at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario, Canada in 1962.

Hawaiian pizza combines tomato sauce, cheese, cooked ham and the controversial topping of pineapple. The dish tends to spark debate about whether the tropical fruit should be used as a pizza topping. Greek-Canadian Sam Panopoulos said he created the pizza in 1962 at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ont.

Hawaiian pizza actually originated in Ontario, Canada in the 1960s, when Satellite Restaurant owner and Greek immigrant Sam Panopoulos returned from Detroit having sampled what was then a novelty for Canadians: pizza. ... In 1962, Panopoulos decided to add another option, offering customers pineapple as a topping.

Sam Panopoulos

Sam Panopoulos, who has died aged 83, leaves a legacy that has delighted, confused and appalled diners worldwide. Often at the same time. Panopoulos is the Canadian man who invented Hawaiian pizza, a dish so divisive it led to a presidential outburst this year. He passed away in hospital suddenly on Thursday.

According to legend, Sam Panopoulos, a Greek immigrant who moved to Canada in 1954, created the first Hawaiian pizza just over the Michigan border in Chatham, Ontario.

Pineapple on pizza originated in the small town of Chatham, Ontario, Canada, far from the beaches of Hawaii that have become the namesake for the dish. It was restaurant owner and chef, Sam Panopoulos at his restaurant, Satellite Restaurant who has been given credit for being the Father of the Hawaiian Pizza.

Pineapple Haters

 People who don't like pineapple on pizza will tell you it's just too juicy. Also, the texture doesn't match up with pizza. But mostly, they don't like the way it tastes. And, they'd rather stick to the classics, like pepperoni or mushrooms.