Pineapple on pizza? The world’s best pizzaiolo approves – and he’s bringing his creation to Hong Kong and Geneva

 For Italians, the thought of putting pineapple on pizza is sacrilege.

That’s what Franco Pepe, known as the world’s best pizzaiolo, or pizza maker, thought, too – at first.

His restaurant in Italy, Pepe in Grani was crowned best pizzeria in the world in 2017 and 2018 by 50 Top Pizza. Chefs all over the globe recognise him as the godfather of pizza, for his pillowy soft dough that becomes a light base when baked in minutes in his specially-designed oven.

Pepe started thinking about making a pineapple pizza when a reporter in Hong Kong asked him about it when he came for the opening of his pizzeria Kytaly, last November.

He began researching pineapple pizza and came across a 2017 prank video by an Italian online news outlet Fan Page that had a pizzeria deliver margherita pizzas with slices of canned pineapple on top.

Captured by hidden cameras, the customers were outraged to find the exotic fruit on top of their favourite pizzas and hurled insults at the delivery man – one woman even assaulted him.

Pepe also found the origins of pineapple pizza or Hawaiian pizza came from Canada, when a Greek immigrant by the name of Sam Panopoulos, created a new pizza combination with ham and chopped canned pineapple in 1962.

“We eat pineapple all the time. Why shouldn’t we use them on our pizzas?” Pepe thought. But his pineapple pizza had to be different.

Pepe is bringing his version of pineapple pizza to Kytaly in Hong Kong that will be available from April. It’s already in Pepe in Grani, and soon at Kytaly in Geneva and La Filiale in Italy.

It is far from the American pizzas using slices of processed ham and canned pineapple.

Pepe’s interpretation is served in a deep-fried pizza cone. Inside is a rectangular chunk of fresh pineapple that’s chilled and wrapped in prosciutto which is then encased in grana padano, similar to Parmesan cheese, that’s whipped with milk to give it a creamy texture. To top it all off, licorice powder is added.

While you can’t see the pineapple at first, when you bite into it the cone, there’s the surprising sensation of the cold fruit contrasting with the warm melted creamy cheese, and saltiness from the prosciutto. The licorice almost complements the pineapple’s sweetness. Pepe says he uses these ingredients to not overwhelm the pineapple flavour.

Curious to try it? It’ll set you back HK$158 for two pizza cones.

Kytaly, 5/F, 77 Wyndham Street, Central, tel: 2808 1961