The pineapple polemic erupted last week when a high school student in the northern town of Akureyri asked Johannesson what he thought of putting the tropical treat on top of a pizza — with the president admitting he hated it and would ban it if he could.

His remarks were picked up by the local press and soon caused a stir on social media across Iceland and beyond over the merits of the Hawaiian, a ham-and-pineapple pizza, prompting a presidential post on Facebook to clarify his position. 

“I like pineapples, just not on pizza,” he wrote. 

“I do not have the power to make laws which forbid people to put pineapples on their pizza,” he said. 

“I am glad that I do not hold such power. Presidents should not have unlimited power,” he added, concluding his post: “For pizzas, I recommend seafood.”

An expert on constitutional issues, Johannesson was a political science professor before being elected head of state last year. 

His laid-back and discreet style has won him plaudits from the public with a January opinion poll showing he had an approval rating of 81.4 percent. DM