[Originally written for and published by Wessex Scene]
May 18 2019
During exam season we are all reflecting on every other place we’d rather be. Instagram feeds are overflowing with “Wish I was here instead of the library” posts, and browsing SkyScanner to see how far £20 will get you is a top form of procrastination (for the record, Antwerp and Esbjerg are supposed to be lovely at this time of year).
I’m no different, but whilst I’m reminiscing over a holiday in Croatia, it isn’t the feeling of sand between my toes or that post-sunbathing nap that I’m dreaming about, but rather a pizza.
Disclaimer: for those of you who shudder at the thought of pineapple on pizza, what follows might be too much to bear.
It was a beautiful evening in Poreč, a small town on the west coast of Croatia. The sunset sprawled lazily across the sky and in an equally lacklustre fashion we chose our dinner destination for the evening – a pizzeria a stone’s throw away from our apartment.As it arrived, the unparalleled excitement of a waiter approaching with your food was tinged with concern that I’d taken things too far
Glancing down the menu, all the classics were there; margarita, pepperoni, or tuna and anchovies for those wanting to dabble in the town’s predominantly fish-based cuisine. Now it’s at this point that I feel it’s necessary to highlight that I am an advocate of pineapple on pizza. I’ve suffered many a mutter of disgust, and many more eye rolls and judgmental glares as a result of my topping of choice.
Yet I suppose it’s those years of going against the grain and following my heart that led me to the bold decision around which this story revolves. “Tropicale” was the name of my chosen pizza, and whilst pineapple had a role, it was the mere Mercutio of this particular love story, for the role of Romeo was stolen by none other than, wait for it, kiwi fruit.
It was sensational. I confess I had my doubts, and as it arrived, the unparalleled excitement of a waiter approaching with your food was tinged with concern that I’d taken things too far, that I’d ruined a perfectly good pizza by stepping past the boundary of acceptable toppings on which the pineapple so precariously teeters. But within a bite, my doubts were banished.
The sweetness of this underappreciated green fruit complemented the acidity of the pineapple, and both were deliciously coated in a blanket of melted mozzarella. The crust was crisp yet fluffy, and whilst my friends enjoyed their fairly mediocre meal choices, I was discovering a whole new world of taste and texture; the flying carpet to their bog standard doormats.
Consequently, whilst I’m stuck in the library, drifting off thinking about all of the other places I’d rather be, this particular encounter holds a special place in my mind. I’ve yet to replicate this culinary venture at home, and perhaps like all holiday romances, it’s better kept as a treasured memory.
Some may think me a heathen for ordering such a pizza, let alone enjoying it so much that I decided to write an article about it. But the next time you’re making a pizza and feel like spicing things up with a bit of greenery, sack off the spinach and broccoli and give kiwi a whirl, because this gem isn’t just a brown and hairy Vitamin C-packed fruit; it could also be the pizza topping you never realised you’d love.
Lead image courtesy Unsplash
Hannah Ward-Glenton 