"Introduction of Pineapples To Europe The first recorded encounter between a European and a pineapple occurred in November of 1493, when Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage to the Caribbean region, went ashore to inspect a deserted Carib village." "Among dense foliage and wooden pillars carved with serpents, his crew came upon piles of freshly gathered vegetables and strange fruits. The European sailors ate, enjoyed and wrote about the curious new fruit, which had an abrasive, segmented exterior like a pinecone and a firm interior pulp like an apple." "The Tradition The ability of a hostess to have a pineapple adorn her dining table for an important event said as much about her rank in society as it did about her ingenuity. " Pineapple in Colonial America "These beautiful fruits were in such high demand, but so hard to get, that colonial confectioners would often rent them to households by the day. Later, the same fruit was sold to other, more affluent clients who actually ate it."
History of the Pineapple in Colonial America "In Colonial America, if you wanted to show your guests just how much they meant to you, or perhaps how much money you spent in preparing a feast, you would make sure you put a pineapple in the center of your table and "wow" your guests upon arrival. But as you can imagine, obtaining said fruit was nothing short of miraculous, which is another reason for its popularity. " The fruit didn't arrive in cardboard boxes like it does today, but I imagine however it came, it was quite a delight to consumers. "Bringing shipments to the colonies from the Caribbean often meant that the conditions were hot and perfect for rotting the cargo. So, if you were able to obtain a fresh, juicy pineapple, you might have been the talk of the town. This was especially true for the more northern colonies where shipments of pineapples were typically only brought to Boston."
I remember pineapple a plenty over here but bananas - they were 'extinct' till well after WW2 The cry from us all was 'Oh yes - we have no bananas!' singing that till the early 50s they were Cheeky banana …….. 'Yes - we have no banana' ………………….
When our Son was in high school, his class had a gift exchange at Christmas time. The would go around the circle, and allow each student to keep the gift they had chosen, or exchange it again for another's gift. He had brought a big, beautiful pineapple, with a big red bow on it. His pineapple was the hit of the party! Everyone had chosen it at one time, and if I remember correctly, he ended up with it at the end!
I spent a summer during high school picking/packaging pineapple on the island of Lana'i. Back then, the biggest owner was Dole, now 98% of the island is owned by Larry Ellison of the Oracle Corporation ! We lived in a barracks style building and remember walking behind the conveyor belt doing my best to keep up. Real hard work. A lot of high school kids did this to make extra money during the summer break and for me, to get out of the house and visit another island.
I would say that you don't realize what you are missing, @Nancy Hart. Both are a bit of a pain, but wonderful.
Titanic's sister ship Olympic had the same pineapple finials which can be found today at The White Swan Hotel, in Alnwick, England. Actually these photos were all taken of the Olympic's staircase elements, since no known photos from the Titanic's Grand Staircase exist. It is believed that the Belfast ship builder, Harland and Wolff, saw no reason to photograph the Titanic's interiors since they had already gone through this expense for her virtual twin, the RMS Olympic.
Pineapple Fun Facts: Pineapples can be consumed fresh, cooked, juiced, and preserved, and are found in a wide array of cuisines. It takes almost 3 years for a single pineapple to reach maturation. A tropical plant, the pineapple plant contains bromalin, an enzyme that may help arthritis by reducing inflammation. Pineapple skin is also known as "bark". Once harvested, pineapples don’t continue to ripen. April 20th is National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day. The word “pineapple” in English was first recorded in 1398, when it was originally used to describe the pine cone. Raw pineapple is an excellent source of manganese (76% daily value) in a one US cup serving) and vitamin C (131% DV per cup serving). The first pineapple to be successfully cultivated in Europe, is said to have been grown by Pieter de la Court at Meerburg in 1658. Pineapples were such as status symbol in 18th Century England that you could rent one for the evening to take to a party.