**The History of Polynesian Pizza (aka Hawaiian Pizza)**
Despite the tropical name, Polynesian—or Hawaiian—pizza didn’t come from Hawaii at all. It was actually invented in **Canada** in **1962** by a Greek immigrant named **Sam Panopoulos**. He and his brothers ran a small restaurant in Ontario and decided to experiment by putting canned pineapple on a pizza with ham, mixing sweet and savory flavors in a way no one had tried before.
They named it **Hawaiian pizza** after the brand of canned pineapple they used. It became a surprise hit—and a controversial favorite ever since.
Over time, variations of the original were born, like **Polynesian pizza**, which often adds barbecue sauce, bacon, or other tropical twists to the mix. It’s all about balancing **sweet, smoky, and savory** for a pizza that feels like a bite of the islands—even if it’s made in a small-town deli.
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