Pineapple caramelised in a dry pan with sugar, then layered with ham and cheese and pressed until the cheese melts. The pineapple goes in the pan before it goes in the bread.
The pineapple goes in the pan first
This is the whole difference between this sandwich and putting a slice of tinned pineapple between two pieces of bread.
Eight minutes in a dry skillet with sugar to taste. The pineapple gives off its own liquid, that liquid reduces with the sugar, and what is left is concentrated, sweet and slightly sticky rather than watery and sharp.
The instruction is emphatic about no water and no oil, and it is right. There is enough liquid in the fruit already, water only means waiting longer for it to go, and oil stops the sugar from browning the way it should.
Assembly
A slice of bread. Two slices of ham on it, the caramelised pineapple cut into small pieces, then the cheese on top of the pineapple so it melts down over it. Pepper if you want it, then the second slice of bread.
The cheese on top of the pineapple rather than under it is not an accident: melted cheese holds the pieces of fruit in place instead of letting them slide out at the first bite.
Pressing it
A sandwich press is easiest. Without one, a dry skillet with a second heavy pan set on top does the same thing, and the recipe's own note says so.
Either way, moderate heat. The cheese needs time to melt through and high heat gets the bread to black before that happens.
Why it is called Hawaiian
The name follows the pineapple, as it does on the pizza. It is not a Hawaiian dish and nobody claims it is: in Colombia the sándwich hawaiano is a bakery and street-stand staple, and the word signals ham and pineapple together.
The combination is old and divisive and this version at least does the fruit the courtesy of cooking it.
More sandwiches
- Colombian chicken sandwich — with mortadella.
- Pineapple juice — for the rest of the fruit.
- Cheese arepas — what Colombians eat instead of bread.
- Homemade croutons — for the bread that is left.
Hawaiian Sandwich FAQ
Because raw pineapple is wet and sharp. Eight minutes in a dry pan with sugar drives the water off and concentrates what is left, so it turns sweet and slightly sticky instead of soaking the bread and tasting acidic against the ham.
The pineapple releases plenty of liquid on its own, and the sugar needs that liquid to caramelise. Adding water dilutes it and adding oil stops it browning properly.
Yes, drained well. It is already soft and sweeter to start with, so it needs less time in the pan and it will not take as much sugar.
No. A dry skillet with a heavy pan set on top does the same job. The point is pressure plus heat, which melts the cheese before the bread burns.
The pineapple is cut into small pieces after cooking and shared out, so it does not need to divide evenly. Six slices caramelised gives roughly a slice and a half per sandwich.
The recipe's own note suggests lettuce and a sauce, pink sauce in particular, and a juice alongside. It is street and bakery food rather than a formal lunch.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 slices pineapple (cut into small pieces and shared between the four)
- Sugar (to taste, for the pineapple)
- 8 slices ham (two per sandwich)
- 4 slices cheese
- 8 slices bread
- A little butter
- Pepper (optional)
Notas
Instructions
- Put the pineapple in a skillet with sugar to taste and cook it for about 8 minutes. No water and no oil: the pan stays dry and the sugar caramelises with the juice the pineapple gives off.
- To build the sandwiches, take a slice of bread and lay on it two slices of ham, a share of the pineapple cut into small pieces, and the cheese on top.
- Sprinkle with pepper and close it with another slice of bread. Spread a little butter on the sandwich press and put the sandwich in until it is done.
- Lift it onto a plate and eat it.
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