Eggplant
Eggplant on pizza is a choice that confuses even committed food adventurers. It offers no remarkable flavor enhancement to the pizza — in fact, the relatively neutral, slightly bitter taste of eggplant tends to be overwhelmed by the sauce and cheese rather than contributing anything interesting to the overall experience. What it does contribute — unfortunately — is texture. Eggplant becomes mushy and waterlogged when baked in a hot pizza oven, contributing an unpleasant soft mass on top of what should be a satisfying, chewy slice. Unlike anchovies, which are polarizing but at least make a strong impression, eggplant on pizza tends to be simply bad without even being interesting about it.
Mushrooms (for Their Detractors)
Mushrooms occupy an interesting place in the pizza topping landscape — they are genuinely popular with a significant portion of pizza eaters, but they are also consistently named among the most disliked toppings by those who cannot stand them. The complaint is almost always about texture rather than flavor: mushrooms, if not properly cooked before being added to a pizza, release significant amounts of water during baking. The result is a soggy pizza with mushrooms that have developed a slimy, unpleasant consistency rather than the firm, meaty texture that makes a well-prepared mushroom genuinely satisfying. For mushroom haters, even a small amount can compromise an entire slice.
Spinach
Spinach on pizza suffers from a problem that the high-heat, fast-cooking environment of a pizza oven makes essentially unavoidable. Raw spinach leaves, placed on a pizza before baking, wilt completely during cooking and release water onto the surface below them. The result is a soggy, limp, somewhat slimy pile of greens that has lost virtually all of its texture and most of its flavor. The taste contribution to the finished pizza is minimal — spinach's mild flavor disappears in the presence of assertive tomato sauce and melted cheese — while its negative contribution to the pizza's texture and moisture level is quite real. The nutritional argument for spinach on pizza is genuine, but nutrition alone has rarely been enough to make people excited about a topping that turns their crust soggy.
