The question of whether pineapple belongs on pizza can spark heated arguments. But if you think that pineapple has no place on pizza, there's another tropical fruit you may consider an even less worthy ingredient: banana. Banana pizza is popular, at least in Sweden, where it is usually paired with curry spices. Smithsonian Magazine traces the history of this unusual sweet and spicy combination.

While the pairing may seem strange out of context, it makes more sense when you consider the fascination with Polynesian culture that flourished in Sweden and other parts of the world in the post-WWII era. Tropical fruits became more readily available and diners were eager to find ways to use them. Richard Tellström, a food historian at Stockholm University, thinks banana curry pizza was likely developed in the late 1970s or early 1980s, following on the heels of pineapple pizza, which came about in the 1970s.

Despite the pizza's alleged popularity in Sweden, there are no recipes for banana curry pizza in the EYB Library, nor is there any for the hotdish/casserole recipe named Flying Jacob, another popular Swedish dish that pairs these flavors. There are, however, many other recipes that combine bananas and curry, like the Banana curry with cashew rice from The Guardian Cook supplement by Rose Elliot pictured above. One of my favorite banana recipes is a dessert (that may be from Cooking Light although I can't confirm) that combined bananas and currants in a cream cheese-based sauce flavored with curry powder, ginger, and lime juice. The combination works there, although I'm not fully convinced about it on pizza. What do you think?