Although it wasn’t created here, pizza has become an immensely popular food for Americans. Many ate it recently while watching the Patriots play the Rams in the Super Bowl, and a few are probably having it again for dinner tonight. While pizza’s popularity is undeniable with over two in ten (21%) saying they eat it “at least once a week", there’s one topping that proves especially controversial: pineapple.
According to new data from YouGov Omnibus, 12% of Americans who eat pizza say that pineapple is one of their top three favorite pizza toppings. People who live in the west (which notably includes Hawaii, home of the ham-and-pineapple Hawaiian pizza) are particularly likely (17%) to say pineapple is one of their favorite pizza topping picks. People between 18 and 34 years old (15%) are also more likely to choose pineapple as a favorite topping, in contrast with only 9% of Americans 55 and older who responded similarly.
But nearly a quarter of pizza-eating Americans feel quite differently: 24% say that pineapple is one of their least favorite toppings. Northeasterners (28%) and people 55 and older (28%) are both particularly likely to say that pineapple is one of their three least favorite toppings.
Though pineapple may be a contentious pizza topping, it still fares better than a few others. The most abhorred pizza topping is anchovies, which 49% of people say is one of their least favorite toppings (in contrast, only 2% named it as a favorite topping). Eggplant also tends to be unpopular, with 30% saying it’s one of their least favorites.
The most popular pizza topping in the US is pepperoni, with a majority (53%) selecting it as one of their top three favorite toppings. Sausage (34%), mushrooms (31%), bacon (20%) and mozzerella cheese/plain (20%) are other popular choices.
Though not quite as controversial as the beloved/hated pineapple, olives and chicken also proved to be dividing. Nearly as many Americans say olives are a favorite (12%) as say they are a least favorite (14%). Similarly, 8% say chicken is a favorite topping while 6% have it pegged as a least favorite.
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Americans generally eat pizza at least once a month, with over two in ten (21%) saying they eat pizza at least once a week. Americans who are 18-34 (29%) are nearly three times as likely as those 55 and older (11%) to say they have pizza at least weekly.
Underneath all the toppings and cheese, of course, is the crust. Regular-crust (33%) pizza is the most popular, followed closely by thin-crust (29%). One in ten (10%) say their favorite is deep-dish, also known as “Chicago-style” pizza.
Different regions of the US are particularly likely to enjoy different types of pizza crust. Regular crust is popular nearly everywhere, but especially in the Northeast (42%). Thin-crust tends to be more popular in the midwest (32%) and the south (32%) than in the northeast (22%) and west (29%). Though deep-dish isn’t a particularly common pick throughout the country, it does find favorability in the midwest (16%), which encompasses Chicago: notably the home of deep-dish pizza.
People in the northeast (54%) are also particularly likely to say they’ve purchased pizza from a local restaurant in their area within the last month, compared to 39% of midwesterners, 34% of southerners, and 34% of westerners.
Regardless of topping and crust, most Americans are eating more than one slice per sitting. Over one-third (36%) say they typically eat two slices of pizza during one meal, while an equal number (36%) say they eat three in one sitting. Nearly one in five (17%) eat four slices, while 5% eat five or more slices in one meal.
Those two-or-three slice eaters may find themselves with leftovers the next day. Nearly all Americans (93%) have a preference for how to eat leftover pizza. The most popular way to eat a leftover pizza is to warm it up in the microwave (40%), though 27% prefer to take things slow and warm it up in an oven or toaster oven. Another 16% eat it cold from the fridge, 5% let it come to room temperature, and 4% heat it in a frying pan.
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Image: Getty