Pineapple and "Hawaii Food"

[skchai]

Received this interesting post in theHonolulu Dining forum, and thought it really ought to get a thread of its own.

Aloha und Guten Tag:

I hope my comments fit within the purpose of this thread. It is interesting to me that many German recipes are titled “Hawaii” Salad, Baguette “Hawaii”, or “Hawaii” Cake, for, it seems, as long as there is a piece of pineapple in the recipe (Ananas=Pineapple) it will be called "Hawaii 'something.'" As one can see in the following recipes the amount of pineapple can vary between 3 slices , 4 tablespoons, 1 can etc. I find this very fascinating and was wondering if this is the case in other countries as well. I do know that one of the main US pizza places offers Hawaii pizza, which includes pineapple as a topping. These are the examples I found:

Hawaii-Salat

• Zitronensaft: 2 Esslöffel, Sellerieknolle: 1, Kopfsalat: 1, Äpfel: 2

• Mandelstifte: 50 Gramm, Orange: 1, Mayonnaise: 3 Esslöffel

• Bd. Radieschen: 1, Scheibe Ananas: 3  , Wasser Salz Pfeffer Zucker: 0.5 Liter Prise Calvados: 1

Baguette Hawaii

1 Baguette, aufbackbar ,

2 Stück Sahne-Schmelzkäse

1 Pck. Schinken, gewürfelt

1 Käse (Edamer)

4 EL Ananas 

4 TL Mandeln, gehobelt

2 Prise Pfeffer

Hawaii Torte

2 Eier , 50 g Zucker, Vanillin Zucker, 30 g Mehl, 25 g Speisestärke, 1 Msp. Backpulver

Für den Belag: 1 Dose Ananas  in Ringen, 850 ml, 1 Dose Frucht Cocktail, 850 ml, 1 Päck. gemahlene Gelatine, 500 g Quark, 400 g Sahne, 100 g Zucker, 1-2 Päck. klarer Tortenguß

Aloha, und Tschuess

Tad responded:

Pumuckel67, welcome to eGullet. You've asked a valid question, although it might be best addressed in a new thread. But to try and answer you, it is quite common to see steaks, pizza, salads and just about anything containing pineapple named Hawaiian or Hawai'i. Usually, it's presence in the recipe is the only criteria.

While I understand why Hawai'i and pineapple are associated, it is a pet peeve of mine, because IMHO, most of these uses of pineapple rarely have resemblance to the way pineapple is eaten or cooked with in Hawai'i. Nor do most of these dishes originate in Hawai'i. The only exception that I can think of is using pineapple juice in teriyaki sauce/marinade. I suppose my problem with it is semantic. I think it's something analogous to chop suey (invented in America) and China. I doubt if I'm the first to say this (please excuse the grammar), but I do say it often:

Just because you put barbeque sauce on it doesn't make it barbeque;

and just because you put pineapple on it doesn't make it Hawaiian.

While we're talking about pineapple, I've heard that pineapple is a common addition to modern sauerkraut preparations in Germany. Have you heard of this?

~Tad

Since Hawai`i was for a long time the world's dominant producer of pineapples (though it seems like ancient history now), it's not that surprising that pineapples and Hawai`i are so closely connected in the public mind. And given that genuine Hawaiian food was nearly unknown outside of Hawai`i, it's perhaps a little bit understandable that people started to assume that Hawaiian cuisine was all about pineapples. What is somewhat most puzzling is how pineapple got placed on so many savory dishes, from pizza to salad to sandwiches. No other fruit seems to get that kind of treatment!

Much of the credit, or blame, must go to Irwin (wesza)'s old friend, "Trader" Vic Bergeron. As Jane and Michael Stern relate in their book American Gourment, he started was cooking "Ham and Eggs Hawaiian" with pineapples at his original restaurant, Hinky Dink's in Oakland, in the early 1930s (there's even a recipe on page 89). When he started Trader Vic's, he decided to design the food and decor around a surreal vision of "Hawai`i" and "Polynesia", thereby inadvertedly setting off the worldwide Tiki Craze that lasted nearly a decade.

Part of what made tiki food so accessible was that it didn't force people to consume ingredients that they might not be used to - it usually meant putting tropical fruits on top of familiar Chinese-American dishes, then often setting the whole thing on fire. So a lot of pineapple got put on meat dishes, and inevitably the epithet "Hawaiian" got attached to these dishes.

I have a copy of Trader Vic's Pacific Island Cookbook, with close to a hundred dishes with "Hawaii" attached to them in some way. And sure enough, among these is "Pork Chops Hawaiian" with "6 slices canned pineapple" and "Chicken Hawaiian" with "one cup diced pineapple". However, those who are familiar with Trader Vic's via his Tiki reign may not be aware that he was actually very knowledgable about Hawaiian and Polynesian cuisine. The very same book with the pork chops and chicken Hawaiian also contains recipes for opihi, roasted kukui nuts, laulau, and imu-baked kalua pig! In fact, the meat n' pineapple dishes, and many of the other dishes associated with his restaurant, are segregated into chapter called "Haole Entertainment".

Anyway. . . Hawai`i's Queen Pineapple has gone the way of King Sugar, and all that's left of the Dole Cannery in Honolulu is a shopping mall complex next to a Costco and Home Depot. In time, perhaps people will begin to associate the fruit with Southeast Asia and other places where it's still produced on a large scale, though I doubt there'll ever be a time when they call pizza with pineapple on top "Pizza Filipino" or "Pizza Thai".

[mamster]

Although they might make a pizza with peanuts and call it "Thai Pizza," even though peanuts are not a major part of Thai cooking.

[skchai]

Did I spy with my little eye such at "Thai" thing at CPK (look about a third of the way down the page)? Also, about two thirds of the way down the page, guess what? CPK, they should call themselves Tiki Pizza Kitchen!

So it seems "Thai" is already taken by the peanut (there seems to be an unspoken rule that only one ingredient can be associated with any cuisine). Any other examples anyone can think of?

By the way, many people, including myself, have confirmed that you can eat very well at Trader Vic's restaurant. I went with some trepidation to try the flaming pupu platter, but it was pretty good. Not really all that different from what local people here would put out at a buffet. Minus the war god statuette and sterno, of course.

[jhlurie]

I will say that the FIRST time I ever had Pineapple Pizza was on The Big Island. This was YEARS before the Dominos and Papa John's of the world served it--maybe 20 years ago or so.

[ExtraMSG]

Does anyone know the origin of the ham/canadian bacon and pineapple pizza? I can imagine it originating as spam and pineapple on Hawaii, but what's the real origin?

Obviously the name could just be something some California businessman came up with, like Santa Fe being added to anything remotely southwestern as a marketing strategy.

Weirdly, I was in Mexico this last week (Mazatlan) and there were these places called "Tortas Hawaii". I never checked one out and googling it couldn't find any solid description of what they serve. I'd be interested to know what a Hawaiian torta is.

btw, pineapples are indiginous to South America, so it should be Brazilian or Bolivian pizza perhaps.

[wesza]

The Pinneapple and Hawaii, are symbols that go together just like Ham and Eggs, Grits, Pastrami, English Muffins or ofther food associations in our culture. Of coarse that Giant Pinneapple at the Dole Cannery when you used to drive or tour bus into Waikiki made a immpression or the Pineapples all over the Matson Menu's or in the majority of advertisements thru out the years.

I personally feel that more Americans have eaten "Domino's Pizza with Pineapple and Canadian Bacon", then any other so called Hawaiaan Dish. Canadian Bacon isn't Canadian, Pinneapple isn't Hawaiian, and to my taste Dominos isn't Pizza. BUt it sure is popular.

The first Restaurant to actually invent and permote so called Hawaiian Food, wasn't any of the Traders it was the "Hawaiian Room", located in NYC's Lexington Hotel that started the whole thing. There were about 30/40 inventions on the Menu that thru the years traveled back to the Islands and have become thru time been considered authentic?

It was certainly so called Fusion Foods, with some Pizzzazz, taste and excitement, none of the stuff didn't taste anything but good, but was more pretend Polynesian, sort of Cantonese with a taste of Japanese and touch of the Phillipines. Very special for it day and time, sort of exotic but fun.

Even "Barbara Walters", father, Lou Walters after closing the vernable Latin Quarter Nightclub opened up on Broadway a Polynesian Restaurant called "Hawaii Kai", that picked up many things from the Hawaiian Room, and Pineappled everything to perpetuate the myth.

When I lived in Hawaii the dish most often served with Pineapple was "Sweet & Sour Pork" at Chinese Restaurants with the exception of Tourist Luau's and Buffects or Hotel Dinning Rooms. Fresh Pinneapple was two expensive except as a special treat. If anyone in Hawaii traveled to the mainland they were surprised the Whole Pineapple was much less expensive then in the Islands.

Irwin

[Pumuckel67]

Thanks for the warm welcome and the new thread:

Yes, it is true that in "modern" Sauerkraut pineapple is often added. As a matter of fact I found this recipe (combining pineapple with Sauerkraut) in my first "google" search.

1 Zwiebel

100 g Speck; durchwachsen

1 Lorbeerblatt

1 Dose Sauerkraut

1 Pikkolo

1/2 Dose Ananas ; mit Saft

4 El. Honig

; Cayennepfeffer

Zubereitung :

Zwiebel und Speck in Würfel schneiden und in wenig Fett weichdämpfen. Das

Sauerkraut trocken ausdrücken, mit Pikkolo, Ananas plus Saft und Honig zu

den Speckzwiebeln geben.

1/4 Stunden fest geschlossen kochen lassen, dann mit Cayennepfeffer würzen

und bei offenem Deckel herabkochen

In addition, I find it interesting that the pineapple with Sauerkraut is a "modern" way to cook it. Even though I did not research this further I assume it was not added in the 'traditional style', because it was just not as available as it is today.

Aloha...

[FoodZealot]

Thanks, Pumuckel67.

As for pineapple on pizza, as I recall, the first my family heard of pineapple on pizza was from my sister, who went to the University of Oregon in Eugene and told us about it. We were pretty incredulous. But it could be that we just didn't eat out very much, or my memory is just wrong. This would have been about 1981. I'm still researching the origin...

mamster, I hesitate to differ with you, but IMHO, peanuts belong on a "Thai" pizza (with marinated chicken, bean sprouts, ginger/sesame/peanut sauce, and green onions) more than pineapple belongs on any pizza, "Hawaiian" or otherwise. [grin]

By the way, if anyone ever gets a chance to try a variety of pineapple called sugarloaf, definitely do it. They're tiny, but low in acid. Really good.

~Tad

[ExtraMSG]

I grew up in California and Oregon (in Eugene mostly, actually) and the "Hawaiian" or "Canadian Bacon and Pineapple" -- as it was just as often called -- was always an option at every pizza place of significance. I tried to google around find the origin, but couldn't. So I'll be interested if anyone finds some evidence. My guess would be California or Hawaii, but you never know.

[skchai]

Irwin, thanks for correcting me on the origin of "Hawaiian Food". I had heard about the role of the Hawaiian Room at the Lexington in developing "Hawaiian Music" (Ray Kinney, Alfred Apaka, etc.), but not "Hawaiian Food" as well! There's undoubtedly a book or two that could be written about the reception and transformation of Hawaiian culture on the mainland during its height of popularity in the 1920s and 30s.

Thanks also to all those who've written about the origins of "Canadian" Bacon / Ham and Pineapple Pizza. I suspect that it probably dates all the way back to the time during the 1950s or so when pizza took off as an American fast food.

[caroline]

I think some of the blame for pineapple and Hawaii has to go to Jim Dole and his advertizing team early in the last century. Their decision to associate pineapple and Hawaii was a brilliant marketing stroke. In fact, I bet a map of the world that showed the places where Dole pineapple was marketed would be pretty much identical to a map that showed the places where anything containing pineapple was labelled Hawaiian. Hawaiian pizza is very popular in Mexico. In Argentina where there's no sign that Dole ever penetrated it's called pizza caribe.

Rachel