Pineapple was introduced to the United States in the mid 19th Century via South American trade routes north to the to the Caribbean and into the West Indies, where Christopher Columbus found them. In Caribbean native tongue, the pineapple's original name was "anana", meaning "excellent fruit". The European explorers called it the "pine of the Indies", and, when the fruit started being exported to English-speaking parts of Europe via The Columbian Exchange, the suffix "apple" was added (to associate it with their favorite "excellent fruit", the apple).
From there, the pineapple spread to other parts of civilization and was placed on sailing ships because, like oranges, they were found to prevent scurvy. It was on one of these voyages the pineapple arrived in Hawaii, and, was presented to King Kahehameha by his Spanish advisor, Don Francisco de Paula y Marin. On January 11, 1813 the first pineapples were planted in Hawaiian soil. In 1901, James Drummond Dole founded the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, and, within a few short years, the pineapple symbolized Hawaii. Canned pineapple entered the American marketplace in 1903 and it was a big deal. It meant that pineapple was available to the home cook all year long -- it was no longer a rare, seasonal treat to be savored fresh. It was very popular with the American housewife -- by 1925, recipes for pineapple pie and pineapple upside down cake began appearing on cans of Dole pineapple and Gold Metal flour. To this day, here in the United States, it is the most popular canned fruit next to applesauce and peaches.
If you have ever stayed in a historic bed-and-breakfast or a large trendy hotel, you have probably noticed a decorative-pineapple strategically-placed on a table, or, a picture of a pineapple hanging on a wall. That's because the pineapple is the universal symbol of hospitality. As the story goes, when early Imperial travelers arrived in remote Caribbean islands they discovered that natives with a pineapple hanging at the entrance to their abode were welcoming to strangers. It wasn't long before the pineapple was widely considered a symbol of hospitality throughout Europe. The concept traveled to America too, where almost all colonial homes had an image of the pineapple in the entry or common area. Southern plantations took up the trend too -- they began carving pineapple shapes into the columns of their grand entrances. During these early American times, because a ripe, fresh pineapple was a pricey rarity reserved for the very wealthy, the pineapple also became a symbol for prosperity and extravagance too.
~ Eight Super-Delicious Recipes Using Pineapple ~:
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2023)
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