Sam Panopoulos, Canadian and inventor of the pineapple pizza, has died.

 

‘Even Toronto didn’t know anything about pizza in those days.’– Sam Panopoulos, Hawaiian pizza creator

It all began in 1962 when he spontaneously threw chunks of pineapple onto the saucy dough before throwing it in the oven. With that swift movement, he started a conversation that would create allies and foes for generations to come.

 

 

According to CBC,  Iceland’s President Guoni Johannesson caused an online frenzy in February after telling schoolchildren that pineapple did not belong on pizza, and suggested the combination should be banned.

Among those coming to the defence of the Hawaiian pizza was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who recognised this slice of Canadiana in a tweet: “I have a pineapple. I have a pizza. And I stand behind this delicious Southwestern Ontario creation.”

 

Panopoulos is survived by his wife, children and many grandchildren. He was 83.

 

 

Filed under: Pineapple Pizza, Pizza, Sam Panopoulos