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Pineapple

Pineapple (Ananas comosus). The common name is derived from the Spanish word Pina, which means "pine cone". The pineapple's scaly exterior was said to bear vague similarity to pine cones by early travellers. The scientific name came from the Gaurani-Tupi Indians who called it nana.

Origins and distribution
The pineapple is a tropical crop that originated in the American tropics and the West Indies. It was first introduced to Europe by the Spaniards and the Portuguese in the 17th century. There, it gained the status of a luxury, premium dessert fruit and was seen as a symbol of cordiality in European high society. The crop is now widely cultivated in Hawaii, Brazil, South Africa and Thailand. The major producers in Southeast Asia are Malaysia and the Philippines.

Description
The pineapple is a low, terrestrial bush which only grows up to five ft in height. It is a member of the Bromeliaceae family and has a stout, thick stem from which a crown of strap-like leaves are produced. The rosette-like leaves are usually dark green, with pale, silvery undersides. They have serrated edges and may bear sharp spines. Crops reach maturity when they are about two years old and produce a large flower-head consisting of hundreds of florets. After fertilisation, the florets form individual fruits and begin to swell. As they are so densely packed, the fruits fuse and eventually form a collective fruit when ripe. A ripe pineapple weighs between one to five kg, depending on the species. The numerous varieties are classified in to four main export varieties; the Smooth Cayenne, Red Spanish, Abacaxi and Queen. When peeled, a ripe pineapple fruit is pale to sunny yellow. It has a fragrant, slightly tangy aroma. The flesh is slightly fibrous and very juicy because of its high water content. The flavour is light, sweet, and mildly acidic making it deliciously refreshing. Cultivated pineapple fruit do not bear seeds, but in the wild, they may be pollinated by bats, insects or humming birds, resulting in immense seed production. While the seeds may have practical benefit for selective breeding, this is an undesirable trait in dessert fruit. Thus, inflorescence of cultivated pineapples must be kept covered to prevent pollination.

Usage and Potential
Food
Although it is usually served freshly sliced, there are many other ways of eating the fruit. A popular Asian delicacy (often attributed as a Thai dish but believed to have originated in Singapore) is pineapple rice, which is traditionally served in a hollowed-out pineapple shell. Pineapple is also widely used to flavour 'sweet and sour' dishes and fruit salads. Nanas goreng is a tasty Indonesian dessert where pineapple slices are fried in batter and served with a generous helping of cinnamon sugar. The Malays make a pleasant appetiser called pacheri with pineapple, chillies, ghee and sugar while manisan is pineapple served with sugar alone. Apart from being canned, dried in cubes or made into fruit juice, the pineapple is also processed to give alcohol, pineapple vinegar and citric acid. The unripe fruit is sometimes used as a vegetable, or cooked in curry. Other pineapple foods include chutneys, pickles and jams. The latter is an especially popular choice when making jam tarts for special occasions, such as Chinese New Year. And of course, Hawaiian pizza would never be the same without chunks of pineapple toppings.

Medicine
The presence of bromelin in ripe pineapples aids in digestion and acid dyspepsia. Partially developed fruit are said to be poisonous and act as a purgative so violent that it can terminate pregnancy. They are generally considered unsafe for consumption. Unripe fruit were previously used as a vermifuge, diuretic and treatment for venereal disease.

Others
Leaf fibres extracted from inferior pineapple plants are used in the textile and rope-making industry. The fibres are also used to weave the exquisitely intricate Filipino Barong fabric or "grass cloth" as it is otherwise known. Pineapples contain a protease, papain, which is used as a meat tenderiser. Pineapple juice was also used by the Malays as a cleaning agent in engraving the blade of the kris.

Variant names
Common name: Pineapple.
Scientific name: (Ananas comosus).
Malay name: Nanas.
Other names: Ananas, Pina.



Author
Annalisa Dass 

 

References 
Allen, B. M. (1967). Malayan Fruits (pp. 208-211). Singapore: Donald Moore Press.
(Call no.: RCLOS 634.09595 ALL) 

Burkill, I. H. (1966). A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula (pp. 149-155). Malaysia: Ministry Of Agriculture and Co-Operatives.
(Call no.: RSING 634.909595 BUR) 

Hutton, W. (1996). Tropical fruits of Malaysia & Singapore (p. 41). Hong Kong: Eric M. Oey.
(Call no.: RSING 634.6 HUT) 

Piper, J. M. (1989). Fruits of South-East Asia (pp. 10-13). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 634.60959 PIP)


Further Readings
Ministry of Agriculture, Malaysia. (2003-2004). Fruit technology: Pineapple (Ananas comosus). Retrieved January 9, 2005, from agrolink.moa.my/doa/bdc/fruits/nenatek_bi.html 

Morton, J. (1987). Pineapple [Electronic version]. In Morton, J. F., Fruits of warm climates. Retrieved January 9, 2005, from
www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pineapple.html 

The information in this article is valid as at 1999 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history on the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Nature>>Plants
Pineapple--Singapore
Fruits--Singapore
Science and technology>>Agriculture>>Fruit crops
Cookery>>Types of meals>>Desserts



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