Pineapple on pizza? The world’s best pizzaiolo approves – and he’s bringing his creation to Hong Kong and Geneva
- Franco Pepe, of Pepe in Grani and Kytaly, is known as the world’s best pizzaiolo – and now he’s made a pizza starring the tropical fruit
- His version is served in a deep-fried pizza cone. Inside is a rectangular chunk of fresh pineapple that’s chilled and wrapped in prosciutto and cheese
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.
