Reported by BBC World
The chef had told the Queensland restaurant that it was "offensive" to his culture to put pineapple on pizza
An Italian chef sacked from a Brisbane restaurant had refused to put pineapple on a pizza because it was an "insult to his culture".
Davide Tamburella was fired from the now-closed La Costa restaurant in May, a fortnight after a meeting with management who had a string of complaints about the chef's behaviour.
More from the original report
Among them were Tamburella's refusal to provide ham and pineapple pizza for guests at a function. At the time, the chef had stated that any direction from management "need not be followed when it is offensive to his culture".
The details came to light after the chef went to Australia's Fair Work Commission claiming he had been unfairly dismissed.
In its ruling released on Tuesday, the commission noted that Tamburella's refusal to put pineapple on the pizzas was because "he considers, as an Italian, that putting pineapple on a pizza is an insult to his culture".
It also noted that it was the third time Tamburella had refused to use the fruit on pizzas in the past four years.
He had previously requested his boss to "check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza".
The state of Queensland, where the restaurant is located, is considered Australia's pineapple heartland and produces all of the country's commercially-grown pineapples.
On the Sunshine Coast, visitors regularly stop to take photos next to The Big Pineapple, a heritage-listed 16m-tall fibreglass model of the fruit, which has become a local landmark.
The state of Queensland is considered Australia's pineapple heartland
Other concerns were raised about Tamburella using foul language, his communication style and "escalation of frustration in the workplace".
The ruling also detailed an incident at work in April this year where Tamburella fractured bones in his right hand when he struck a metal hand rail.
Tamburella had been hoping the restaurant would sponsor a visa for him that allows skilled workers to be permanent residents.
However after his sacking, the restaurant ended that process, the tribunal heard.