Pineapple Day

Today is Pineapple Day, everyone!

Pineapples are tropical plants, native to South America. In the wild, they are pollinated by hummingbirds and bats. They have been cultivated by the Aztecs and the Mayans, where they were considered a staple food.

In 1493, Christopher Columbus became the first European to encounter the pineapple in Guadeloupe. He brought it back to Spain, where he called it the "piña de Indes", meaning "Pine of the Indians". Pineapples became a symbol of wealth in Europe, as despite the existence of greenhouses, pineapples were still hard to grow. They would not be eaten but displayed until they rotted. In Britain, aristocrats would have rivalries over producing pineapples.

In the 18th century, the Spanish brought the pineapple to Hawaii. In 1900, James Dole (you may know his name if you ever bought bananas) started a 60-acre pineapple plantation, having come to Hawaii a year earlier. Pineapple production would greatly decline in Hawaii due to competition from other food companies and improvements in refrigerated sea transportation. Despite this, pineapples are still seen as a symbol of Hawaii. Heck, one of Honolulu's nicknames is "The Big Pineapple". The Philippines have since become major pineapple producers. Pineapples would be part of the cuisine of many places thanks to the journeys they underwent. 

So yeah, pineapples have a fascinating history.