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It’s the age old question … does pineapple belong on a pizza? What about rhubarb or Brussels sprouts or even kiwi fruit? In Costa Rica it’s not unusual to order a pizza sprinkled with shaved coconut and a favourite in Sweden, so they say, is a banana curry pizza which is topped with peanuts, bananas, chicken, pineapple and lots of curry powder. Apparently Ed Sheeran likes to top his pizza with hot slap chips and lashings of tomato sauce, thus proving that wealth and talent does not necessarily buy good taste!

Whatever your personal preference, one thing is clear – South Africans love their pizzas.

According to a 2023 GlobalData report, restaurants featuring pizza on their menu constitute a 20% share among all restaurant types in South Africa and Uber Eats reveals it is the most widely ordered and delivered food choice. The top seven pizza chains in the country have a combined 1,240 stores across the country, leaving little doubt that the Italian fast food is indeed a firm favourite amongst South Africans appealing to young and old alike.

It's no wonder then that the annual Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge stirs up so much passion, emotion and excitement. Now in its fourth year, the contest asks pizza-loving South Africans to vote for their favourite pizzeria, which in turn entices those eateries taking part to fire up their ovens and serve the perfect pizzas to their loyal patrons.

In a nationwide challenge, restaurants from Ballito to Bloemfontein and from Paarl to Potchefstroom - and all the others in between - will be battling it out for the next six weeks to win the most votes and be crowned the country’s favourite pizzeria.

But back to those all-important toppings! A YouGov survey, released in April 2023, reveals that America’s favourite pizza topping is pepperoni, with 24% listing it as their number one choice. Sausage is a distant second (13%), followed by extra cheese (11%), mushrooms (9%), and chicken (6%). Least favourite is anchovies with 29% saying it’s a no-no.

When it comes to South Africans, it seems they fancy pizzas with salami, ham, mushrooms, pineapple and, what could be unique to local menus and palates, the ubiquitous bacon, feta and avo combination!

Toni from Toni’s Fully Furnished Pizza Co in Rietfontein, Pretoria says for many of their customers, a favourite is a toss toss-up between their pesto pizza, lamb pizza and a Hawaiian on a thin crispy base while capers and vegetables are not popular toppings. Rodrick Munyaradzi from Dino’s Trattoria in Lonehill, Sandton says salami is the bestseller while artichokes are seldom selected. While Enrico from Caraffa, another Pretoria eatery says they get a lot of orders for pork and avo toppings, while less popular are mushrooms.

Celebrities are happy to share their go-to choices when it comes to ordering. Selena Gomez always opts for a jalapeño and mushroom pizza while Beyonce also goes the Jalapeño route but adds extra tomato sauce. For Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner, Khloe Kardashian and Gordon Ramsay nothing beats a simple Margherita, while that other cheeky chappie chef, Jamie Oliver, likes to get more creative and makes his own pizzas with sausage, onion, pine nuts, and grapes.

Locally, celebrity chef Jenny Morris aka the Giggling Gourmet loves a pizza with mushrooms, chilli and a “good old drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of parmesan as it comes out the oven.” For her, bananas and cooked avo should be banned from being anywhere near pizzas.

“Some people like bacon, banana and peanut butter on their pizzas because they think they’re Elvis’ relatives,” she laughs. 

Chef Andile Magwaza’s best topping is creamy chicken, feta and avo on a thin crust, with sardines a real no-no, while Mexico in Mzansi chef and author Aiden Pienaar always includes avo as a topping, but never wants to see courgettes on a pizza and Gareth Daniell, aka BraaiBoy, just wants cheese, cheese and more cheese and draws the line at any seafood topping. preferring to have his prawns, oysters and crayfish hot off the braai!

Singer, guitarist, producer Shen Winberg, aka ShenFM, says his preference is avo and chicken on a thin crust pizza but hold the mushrooms while journalist and broadcaster Jenny Crwys-Williams likes tomatoes, anchovies, mozzarella, a touch of chilli, garlic & avo on a thin crust and says no to pineapple.

And that’s the beauty of a pizza; tastes differ vastly. One person’s most favourite is another person’s most awful, but we can all sit down around a table in our local pizzeria and enjoy good wine, good company and great pizzas together!

For more information on the Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge, visit https://votepizza.wine