With Toast Hawaii, Germany Married Ham And Pineapple Before The Controversial Pizza

If you love the ever-controversial Hawaiian pizza, then read on, because we're introducing an equally divisive dish: Toast Hawaii. If you're adamant that pineapple belongs on pizza, you'll be confident that it also belongs on this retro German creation that sprung up in the 1950s. Starting with a base of a slice of white bread, Toast Hawaii is layered with sliced ham, a pineapple ring, and then melted cheese, and finally topped with a maraschino cherry.

It's sweet, savory, creamy, and comforting to many who grew up with it, and this open-faced sandwich is eaten as an easy snack or for a quick lunch. Canned pineapple is used for guaranteed sweetness, but fresh pineapple works if available. Gouda, Swiss, or Emmental cheese are all good options – be sure to bake or broil until the cheese is fully melted. Users on the r/StupidFood Reddit thread report that Kraft single slices were commonly used in their childhoods in the 70s and 80s in Germany. Some recipes call for the addition of mustard as well. We can't help but wonder if this recipe would be tasty served on a sweet Hawaiian roll.

It's also considered to be an iconic dish part of retro Swiss cuisine, where it seems to have spread from Germany – German is the most widely spoken language in Switzerland. There is a more European version of Toast Hawaii called Toast Williams, which instead features canned or poached pear, bacon, and Gruyère or Raclette cheese.

Like Hawaiian pizza, Toast Hawaii has nothing to do with Hawaii. This combination of ingredients is not eaten in the Pacific islands, but rather, it reflects the introduction of American culture taking place in Western Germany after World War II and the country's newfound interest in international foods. While pineapple is not native to Hawaii, the creation of pineapple plantations like Dole in the early 20th century created the association of the fruit with the Aloha State.  

The creation and popularization of the dish is credited to Clemens Wilmenrod in the mid-1950s. He was an actor who became Germany's first TV chef known for incorporating foreign ingredients into his cooking and creating new recipes. There is no record of the explanation from Wilmenrod behind the name of the recipe or the why behind the ingredients; however, the actor-turned-chef was based in West Germany during the time of Americanization. American troops were stationed in West Germany after the war and possibly introduced the concept of the "Spamwich" which is said to have contained spam and canned pineapple. Regardless of where the tropical idea came from, the concept of "Hawaii" for food seemed to have been popular in Germany – a recipe for Schnitzel Hawaii also exists.

The real question: What came first, the pizza or the toast? Hawaiian pizza was created in 1962, credited to a Greek man named Sam Panopoulos. The owner wanted to draw in more customers to his Ontario, Canada pizza restaurant and added pineapple on top of the pies. Although Hawaiian pizza remains more popular and known today, Toast Hawaii was invented first.