Pineapples
Put a little slice of sunshine into your day!
Learn all about this delicious and nutritious fruit which always wears a crown, looks like a slice of sunshine, and brings a tropical vibe to any occasion.
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translation: 'excellent fruit'
Scientific Name: Ananas comosus
Also known as: ananas, piña, painapiu, fala 'aina, paināporo, अनानास, pinya, Trái dứa, S̄ạppa rd, أناناس, pynappel, pîn-afal, uphayinaphu, cananaaska, pineapu, paenapol, painap, ананас, 菠萝, パイナップル, สัปปะรด, pynappel, pinya, ਅਨਾਨਾਸ, Хан боргоцой, pîn-afal, 菠蘿, אֲנָנָס, ipanapula
Make the most of pineapple cuttings with this low sugar pineapple punch! The outermost flesh is the sweetest so it’s a shame to waste it. Plus it's lower in sugar than normal pineapple juice!
Step 1: Cut the skins off your pineapple
Step 2: Boil the skins of one pineapple in 1litre of water for 15 min
Step 3: Leave to cool
Step 4: Strain the liquid through a sieve, refrigerate
Step 5: Enjoy!
Pineapple Punch
June 27th
International Pineapple Day
Ripe for the Picking
Did you know pineapples are ready to eat as soon as they hit the shelves?
Pineapples stop ripening as soon as they’re picked so its best to eat them as soon as possible (though of course, they can double as a tropical decoration for a day first!).
For the best pick, look for pineapples with the freshest, perkiest leaves.
Good things take time
Pineapples take 18-24 months to grow! transforming from a group of flowers to a delicious fruit.
So make sure not to let them go to waste.
Pineapples are nutrient-dense, rather than energy-dense. This means they provide a lot of nutrients for a small amount of calories.
Nutrition
1 Cup of Pineapple contains:
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83 calories (4% of your daily allowance)
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2 of your 5 A DAY fruit and veggie servings
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2.3g fibre (8% of your daily needs)
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79mg vit C (88% of your daily needs)
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1.5mg manganese (66% of your daily needs)
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A good dose of B vitamins
Based on an adult females requirements, 2000 calories/day and 165g pineapples
Pineapples are 86% water!
The hot ingredient in pineapples is: Bromelain
Bromelain is the name for a group of protein-digesting enzymes. Bromelain has long been used as a traditional medicine and was thought to reduce inflammation, induce labour, expel worms, act as a diuretic and aid digestion.
Studies are currently investigating its potential benefits in arthritis, inflammatory bowel disorders, blood clotting, cancer prevention, and weight loss. Bromelain is sometimes used for treating burns and reducing swelling after surgery. There are some indications it may help reduce pain for sufferers of arthritus and reduce mucus for sufferers of sinuitis (reference). These studies test bromelain in tablet format, you would have to eat a whole lot of fresh pineapple to see an impact!
Note: Bromelain is destroyed by cooking/ heating, this means canned pineapples contain less bromelain
Flower Power
Pineapples are a type of ‘multiple fruit’ because they are actually formed from purple flowers that each produce a fruit, these ‘fruitlets’ then merge together to form the pineapple (the brown ‘eye’s show where each fruitlet merged).
Aloha
Hawaii
In Hawaii rain showers on a sunny day are called “pineapple juice” and a baby from a surprise pregnancy are called a “ratoon crop”- the bonus fruit that grows after a pineapple has been picked.
Does Eating Pineapple Make Your Mouth Sore?
That's because it's eating your flesh!* (*possible exaggeration)
The bromelain in pineapple breaks down protein- including the proteins in our mouths/skin which causes that prickly sensation. Don't worry it doesn't cause any long-term harm, you can also try cutting out the pineapple core where most of the bromelain is.
This is also the reason why pineapple is a great meat tenderizer.
"Pine-apple is great. She is indeed almost too transcendent- a delight, if not sinful... she woundeth and excoriateth the lips that approach her- like lovers’ kisses, she biteth"
-Charles Lamb, 1821
'The Pineapple'- Dunmore, Scotland
(also known as "the most bizarre building in Scotland)
Fruit of the Kings
Following Christopher Columbus’s delivery of a pineapple from the island of Guadeloupe to King Ferdinand of Spain in 1493 pineapples became the fruit of kings. From Louis XV’s of France to Charles II of England a race was on to cultivate pineapples on European soil, mastered by the Dutch it was a key motivator to the development of hot houses- known as pineries.
Life of the Party
In the 18th century pineapples cost today's equivalent of £5000 in England and were such a status symbol people would rent them for parties. In fact, everywhere you look in London you’ll spot pineapple motifs on gates, buildings and even on St Pauls Cathedral! Architect Cristopher Wren saw the pineapple as “a symbol of peace, prosperity, and hospitality”.
Fruity Fashion
Since the sixteenth century pina Fabric has been made from the fibres of pineapple leaves to make the Philippines national dress - Barong Tagalog and Baro’t saya. More recently, the Philippines has also developed Piñatex™ - a sustainable pineapple leather!
Pineapple Princess- Annette (1962)
Ananas en Pot (1733)- hung at Palace of Versailles
Dole Pineapple Plantation, Hawaii
