Toast Hawaii

Toast Hawaiiis anopen sandwichconsisting of a slice oftoastwithhamandcheese, and amaraschino cherryin the center of apineappleslice, baked so that the cheese starts to melt.It was  made popular by theWest GermanTV cookClemens Wilmenrodin the 1950s. It is likely that it was adapted from the "Grilled Spamwich" found in a 1939Spamcookbookand brought to West Germany byAmerican G.I.s. Spam was not available in Germany's grocery stores so Wilmenrod replaced it with a slice of cooked ham.
Lightly toasted bread is buttered, covered with a slice of cooked or raw ham, pineapple, and cheese (usuallyprocessed cheese), then baked. It is also common to place amaraschino cherry,cranberries, or other similar fruit on the finished toast, or to season it with sweetpaprika powder. Toast Hawaii is similar to other purportedly "Hawaiian-style" dishes that are prepared with pineapple and cheese, such asHawaiian pizzaor Hawaiian steak.
The invention of toast Hawaii is generally credited to TV chefClemens Wilmenrod, who first introduced it in West Germany in 1955. However, it is likely that Wilmenrod took the recipe from his competitor and teacherHans Karl Adam[de].
According to historian Petra Foede, it may be a variant of the "Grilled Spamwich" once common in the United States, slightly adapted to German conditions. The original recipe usesSpaminstead of boiled ham and grated cheese instead of a slice; otherwise, there is no difference between recipes.The "Grilled Spamwich" recipe was first published in 1939 in a cookbook by Spam manufacturerHormel. Unlike boiled ham, however, Spam was unavailable in German grocery stores.Publicist Jürgen Ahrens sees the Frenchcroque monsieuras a precursor to Toast Hawaii.
A large number of variations later emerged; the TV chefTim Mälzerpresented a "modern" variant in the 2010s featuring brown bread,Serrano ham, andManchego cheese.
Because of the combination of ingredients, there is the concern that toast Hawaii and similarly composed dishes have the potential to form carcinogenicnitrosaminesdue to the combination ofnitratesin the hamcuring saltand theamino acidsin the cheese in the acidic environment of the pineapple.However, investigations by the Food Technology department at theBerliner Hochschule für Technikdid not reveal any increased levels of nitrosamines.
Toast Hawaii was a typical meal for West German families up until the 1970s and was a popular dish in pubs, party rooms, and bowling alleys in the 1980s.However, in 2015, the more commonly thought of pineapple-centric dish in Germany was Hawaiian pizza;unlike Hawaiian pizza, which is distributed globally, Toast Hawaii has remained a purely German phenomenon. About ten years after its introduction, Hawaiian toast also found its way into thecuisine of East Germany[de], but was limited to being served in restaurants, as pineapples were a scarce and expensive good in East Germany.In East German home kitchens, versions ofKarlsbader Schnitte[de]were more popular, using the more commonly availableJagdwurstormeatloafand omitting the pineapple.
In Austria, Toast Hawaii was seen as one of the markers ofAmericanizationin the 1950s, but the Hawaii schnitzel even more so. The dish has also been available in Switzerland since the 1950s; theZurich-Kloten Airportrestaurant was one of the first to serve Hawaiian toast in Switzerland around 1960and was one of the top ten most Googled recipes in 2013.
Toast Hawaii is considered a piece of Germancultural history. On the 60th anniversary of its creation, theSüddeutsche Zeitungwrote that few other subjects had been discussed as passionately as the polarizing opinions on Toast Hawaii.Toast Hawaii brought a touch of the exotic into everyday life and was thus part of theconspicuous consumptionof thepost-war period in Germany. According to the journalist Gudrun Rothaug, the dish bundled the desires of an entire generation onto a few square centimeters of wheat bread, and according to historian Petra Foede, the dish also represents moving away from traditional meals primarily intended to be stomach-fillers (such as stew or dumplings).Ulrich Herbertpoints out the eating habits of the 1950s were not shaped by "modern" dishes like this one, but rather by bread, sausage, potatoes, and meat.
Media scientist Gerd Hallenberger pointed out that the exotic fruit involved in the dish could also be interpreted as compensation for the continuing food shortage in the post-war kitchen and inability to afford vacations to distant countries. Toast Hawaii brought the initially internationally isolated German citizens a piece of new normality and connection to the culinary world culture.
According toJosef Joffe, the dish is often associated withphilistinism, but stands for a milestone towards modernity. Hawaiian toast also found its way into popular culture;Loriotsatirically alluded to it with his "Kalbshaxe Florida", as didGerhard Poltwith his "LeberkäsHawaii" (both fictional). There is a musical that shares its name, and the 2009NDRtelevision filmEs liegt mir auf der Zunge[de]about its creator also covered its creation. Music producerAlexander Marcuscreated theHawaii Toast song, in which he sings about the food; this attracted media attention in 2014 and the song was viewed over seven million times onYoutube.