Btw, this is why English people put pineapple on gammon, because gammon is so tough the papain makes it more edible. The older alternative is an egg. I once had it served with both.

Gammon is a seriously acquired taste, though, but I wonder if the pineapple on ham thing comes from a misunderstanding of the differences. They're both cured meat from a pig, right?

(I don't recommend Americans order gammon. Go with a British person and try a little bit of theirs first. It's similar to country ham, but not quite).

So, yeah, I can see how pineapple ruins ordnary, regular ham.