Johnalewis74's Blog
Johnalewis74's Blog
Aug 28, 2007 | 3:43 AM PST
Tags: Tropical Plants , Bromeliads
THE PINEAPPLE...
has served as both a food and a symbol throughout the human history of the Americas. Orignally unique to the Western Hemisphere, the fruit was a culinary favorite of the Carib Indians who lived on islands in the sea that still bears their name.
Indian Migration and Commerce...
The presence of pineapples on Caribbean islands was not a natural event, but rather the result of centuries of indian migration and commerce. Accomplished dugout canoe navigators, the maritime tribes explored, raided and traded across a vast expanse of tropical oceans, seas and river systems.
The herbaceous plant they called "anana" or "excellent fruit" originally evolved in the inland areas of what is now Brazil and Paraguay and was widely transplanted and cultivated. Highly regarded for its intense sweetness, the "excellent fruit" was a staple of indian feasts and rites related to tribal affirmation. It was also used to produce indian wine.
Christopher Columbus...
The first encounter between a European and a pineapple occured on November, 1493, when Columbus, on his second voyage to the Caribbean, landed on the lush, volcanic island of Guadaloupe and went ashore to inspect a deserted Carib village. His crew came across cook pots filled with human body parts. Nearby were piles of freshly gathered vegetables and fruits, including pineapples. The European saliors ate, enjoyed and recorded the curious new fruit which had an abrasive, segmented exterior like a pine cone, and a firm interior pulp like an applle.
