Interesting facts

The native inhabitants of Paraguay called the pineapple nana meant (= delicious fruit), giving rise to the Latin name Ananas. The English name pineapple and the Spanish piña describe the fruit's resemblance to a pine cone. On the Philippines the pineapple is also known as the fruit with a thousand eyes.
It was Christopher Columbus who brought the pineapple to Europe. In 1493 the friendly inhabitants of the Antilles island of Guadeloupe welcomed the foreign traveller with this exotic fruit. Columbus was so enamoured with its taste that he took it home with him. However, it was not until the 19th century that the plant was successfully cultivated in greenhouses.
The protein-cleaving bromelain also has culinary uses. Cooking meat with fresh pineapple is said to make it more tender. Anyone travelling in the tropics should look out for the small second or third harvest pineapples. They are considerably sweeter and more aromatic than the exported fruits and are only to be found in the local markets. Damaged or over-ripe pineapples are used to make pineapple vinegar in the countries of origin.
The leaves of the pineapple species Ananas lucidus are the source of a very fine, beige-white fibre, which is as soft and lustrous as hair and is used to make fine fabrics such as lace veils. Obtaining the fibres is a painstaking process. The two-year-old leaves are cut and the fibres combed out by hand using potsherds or coconut shells. The threads made by twisting the fibres are so delicate that they tear easily during weaving. Pineapple fabric or batiste is therefore extremely expensive. Pineapple weaving had its heyday in the 19th century on the Philippines. The products were in demand throughout the world. However, cotton fabrics, which were considerably easier to produce and therefore less expensive, eventually ousted the expensive pineapple cloth. Today some cooperation ventures in collaboration with development aid projects are trying to revive this traditional craft.
With a little luck you can grow a pineapple plant at home from the leaf crown of a fresh fruit. To do this, cut off the crown about one centimetre below the base of the leaves so that the embryonic roots are preserved. Leave the cut surface to dry for 24 hours and then place on a mixture composed of a lot of sand and a little garden peat. Cover with a sheet of plastic to begin with and stand in a warm place with plenty of light. This pineapple will not flower, however.