One Topping, Many Opinions

Pineapple pizza---a rebellion against the traditional flatbread brought by Italian immigrants.

Jackson Heights is home to a huge number of different cultures including Latin American, Bangladeshi and East Asian. What better way to explore its cultural mashup than with one of the most polarizing foods on the planet: pineapple pizza. Three student journalists set out with a fresh pie from Due Fratelli ($27.05) and a simple mission: talk to strangers about pineapple pizza and find out whether their origins influence their answers.

There did seem to be one unifying theme: people either hated it or refused to try it. Not only that, some people shook their heads in disgust. One of them was Marie Jean, a Haitian immigrant who was working in Jackson Heights on a recent Tuesday. “They better stop making them,” she said

Traditional pizza originated in Naples, Italy, as a simple dish made with dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and fresh toppings. It came to America in the late 1800s from Italian immigrants. Over time, pizza grew in popularity. After World War II, returning American soldiers who had tasted pizza in Italy helped boost its fame, and by the mid-20th century, pizza had become a beloved food across the United States. Today, it's a staple of American cuisine, with countless regional styles. Among them is one of the most controversial ones—pineapple pizza which was invented in 1962 by Sam Panopoulos, a Greek immigrant living in Canada.

Taking a step away from where it all started, we took off to Jackson Heights, often regarded as the most diverse neighborhood in the world, to find out whether different immigrant communities have personalized opinions on the controversial dish based on their background. Armed with a greasy box of warm pineapple pizza and a notebook to take notes, our group went out into the busy streets. The sun was blazing, and the sidewalks were busy with families, vendors, delivery cyclists, and commuters. We stopped people at random, offering a free slice with one simple condition: they had to tell us what they thought of it. Some were hesitant. Others walked right past us. But a surprising number of people stopped to tell us their uncensored thoughts on the disputed addition to a traditional dish.

We began by asking, “Where are you originally from?”. Then we dove right in and asked about pizza and pineapple pizza in particular.

The first wave of interviews was a wall of polite declines, skeptical glances, and quick excuses. Some wouldn’t speak at all. Others were happy to chat about pizza in theory—until we lifted the lid. “Pineapple on pizza?” said Bobby DeRosa, a man with origins from Italy, recoiling as if I’d offered him a slice of betrayal. “Pineapple on pizza is like a disgrace to society. Get some pepperoni or some sausage, man, not pineapple!” Many seemed to treat the offer less like a slice of pizza and more like a dare. Rob Swift, a drywall worker not from Jackson Heights but on a job nearby, shook his head before I could even finish the question. “I’m Italian,” he said firmly, “I don’t do pineapple on pizza.” However, he didn’t just decline—he redirected. “You want good pizza? Go to Lucali in Brooklyn.” He then went on to list other pizza restaurants that to his belief were true, authentic slices of pizza. Seemingly echoing Rob, there was Marie Jean who, when saw the pizza, immediately turned away. “You couldn’t pay me to eat that garbage,” she said. “That might make me sick.” Marie has been living in New York City for 50 years and enjoys eating pizza regularly.

Then there were the people that gave it a try (reason being they were hungry), although unsure about pineapple pizza at first. Most people with a Latin American background said they “grew up in Jackson Heights … ate pizza a lot when (they were) younger, but not with pineapple.” Even though they didn’t have much experience with pineapple pizza before, they didn’t reject it outright, which shows a possibility for trying it in the future. Cecilia Afevelo from Ecuador clearly said that she “ liked it”, making her a representative of those open to accepting this new flavor. In the mix of different food cultures, these open-minded individuals help create more space for pineapple pizza to be accepted by a wider audience. Their willingness to try something new shows a positive attitude toward blending different tastes.

“I give it a nine out of ten”, said Marcello Arbelaz as he chowed down two slices of pizza. His thoughts prior to eating it were neutral, but after giving Due Fratteli’s pineapple special a try, Marcello seemed to really enjoy it!

Not everyone we met during our pineapple pizza experiment had a strong opinion. In fact, some of the most interesting conversations came from people who were caught in the middle.

Most of those who were unsure of their answers were people who had been in the U.S. for a long time, probably exposed to much more serious cases of traditional foods being appropriated.

Liliana and Olivia Treserra, two women who originally came from Spain but had been in the U.S. for thirty years, told us they grew up eating pizza once in a while and never gave pineapple pizza a lot of thought. After a moment of thinking, one of the women admitted that the controversial pizza topping was not a bad addition to the dish. “I wouldn’t order it for myself,” she said, carefully choosing her words, “but if it were offered to me for free I would take it.”

Eduardo Hernandez, another man who came from Colombian origins and immigrated to the U.S at five, said something extremely similar. “I’ve seen people argue about this a lot and I never really thought about it,” he told us. “It’s not bad, but not my favorite.” He also mentioned how he was a very picky eater when he first came to Jackson Heights, but trying different food combinations, such as mango with rice, had broadened his food palate.

In the end, even though pineapple pizza is not loved by everyone, it does reflect something much more significant: the journey of food in an immigrant nation. Just like the pizza itself, which came to America with Italian immigrants and evolved over time, pineapple pizza is a symbol of cultural integration, challenge, and change. Whether it’s embraced with open arms, rejected with strong words, or cautiously accepted with curiosity, people’s reactions tell a deeper story about identity, tradition, and the possibilities of fusion. In a place like Jackson Heights—where languages, customs, and cuisines mix every day—pineapple pizza becomes more than just a topping. It becomes a conversation starter, a clash of tastes, and, in its own way, an immigrant pizza.