Who is credited with creating Hawaiian pizza in 1962?

Sam Panopoulos is credited with creating Hawaiian pizza in 1962.

Panopoulos, a Greek-born Canadian restaurateur, experimented with pizza at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario, which he operated with his brothers. He added canned pineapple to pizza, reportedly influenced by the sweet-and-savoury combinations common in North American Chinese food. Ham or bacon later became part of the familiar version.

The pizza was not originally named because it came from Hawaii. Panopoulos used the name “Hawaiian” because the canned pineapple came from the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. The recipe was initially unusual, but it gradually became popular in Canada and then internationally.

Panopoulos is often called the inventor, though earlier pineapple-topped pizza-like dishes have been reported. That history makes “credited with creating” more precise than claiming he was unquestionably the first person ever to put pineapple on pizza.