Gordon Ramsay Hates This Pizza Topping With A Passion
World-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay is a man of many Michelin stars and many tastes. He's commonly associated with fine-dining dishes like seared scallops, beef Wellington, risotto, and his signature lobster ravioli, but he's also known to enjoy an Animal-style Double-Double at In-N-Out. Ramsay will eat a lot of things, but there's one controversial pizza topping he'll avoid at almost any cost.
In a 2022 TikTok video, a frustrated Ramsay declared that "Pineapple does not belong on a pizza. How many times do I have to tell you?" As he suggested, fans of the celebrity chef know that this has been a pet peeve of his for many years.
In 2017, Ramsay guest-hosted a week of ITV's "The Nightly Show," a British late-night talk show. During a prank in which he ordered dozens of pizzas to the set (without mentioning that he was a celebrity hosting a live TV program), one audience member suggested pineapple pizzas. Without missing a beat, Ramsay shot back, "You don't put f***ing pineapple on pizza ... What the f*** are you doing?" While he didn't elaborate on why he dislikes this topping, he made extra sure that the order had "no pineapple anywhere."
The wide and controversial world of pineapple pizzas
Pineapple on pizza has long been a hot debate, usually revolving around a Hawaiian pizza topped with pineapple and ham. Because of that pie, everyone has heard of pineapple on pizza, but what about pizza on pineapple? A TikTok trend of years past, fueled by Food Network's account, saw people adding bite-size pizza triangles on top of pineapple slices for a fruitier, sweeter inversion of this contentious combo.
Another famous foodie has a pineapple pizza recipe that's sure to rankle some. Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond likes topping her pineapple pizzas with black olives. This plays on sweet and savory flavor combos like a traditional Hawaiian pizza, but the ham's role is filled by Canadian bacon and salty, briny, black olives. It's certainly not for everyone, but you can see how the concept might work.
Some chefs and diners will always love pineapple on pizza, even if it's one of the foods that Gordon Ramsay doesn't dare eat. However, even that's not universal: In a 2024 promo for his TV show "Next Level Chef," Ramsay poked fun at his pineapple pizza aversion with a clip that showed him secretly devouring an entire pie. He may not actually like it, but he will stomach it for the sake of comedy.