Pineapple Ananas comosus A compound fruit, native to South & Central tropical America, possibly cultivated initially in Peru from around 1,000 AD. The generic name, ananas, commonly used to identify it in many European countries is derived from the Brazilian Tupi Indian word anana, ‘excellent fruit’. Pineapple was given to it by the early Spanish explorers for its fancied pine-cone shape. It was first seen by Colombus in Guadaloupe in 1493, although difficulties in timing for its transportation didn’t see its arrival in Europe until the early 16th century, when it caused quite a stir. It caught the public imagination and soon appeared everywhere. Coats of arms; architectural ornament; pottery imitation; containers: the ubiquitous exotic shape became almost commonplace in 17th century Europe. Walter Raleigh called it the “Princess of Fruits” and it was so admired that European gardeners worked hard on cultivating it, managing the first plants by the early 1520’s. The pineapple remained a such a curiosity in English society that the presentation of the first pineapple to be raised in England, made by the Royal Gardener, Mr John Rose, to Charles II in 1661, was the subject of a painting by Danckerts. By the mid-16th century the pineapple was being grown in India, from whence it moved quickly onwards to China and in 1777, Captain Cook took it almost full-circle to the Pacific Islands. Nowadays, the main producers of pineapple on a commercial scale are Hawaii and Malaysia. Traditional folk medicine credits the pineapple with many healing powers and fresh pineapple juice has been used as a gargle for throat infections, to relieve catarrh, arthritis, bronchitis and indigestion. The fresh fruit contains the enzyme bromelain which breaks down protein and which is so strong that people who regularly work with pineapples in quantity have to wear protective gloves and clothing to protect their skin. The enzyme is sometimes prescribed in tablet form as an aid to those who find it difficult to digest proteins. Investigations carried out over the past 50 years have produced over 400 extensive papers on the effects of bromelain. Some suggest that it may be of use in the treatment of heart disease by helping to disperse blood clots. Other studies have presented evidence that it may help to combat sinus congestion, urinary tract infections and that it may augment the effects of antibiotics. Bromelain is also an anti-inflammatory and has been used in the treatment of both osteo- and rhematoid arthritis. It also appears to accelerate tissue repair and is used in several applications marketed for the treatment of sports injuries. However, the canning process destroys the bromelain but not the vitamin C content. Fresh pineapple provides almost a quarter of the recommended daily intake for vitamin C inb a non-smoking adult, but not much in the form of other vitamins or minerals. 100g canned in juice provides 47 kcalories energy, no fat, 12.2g carbohydrate in the form of sugars, 0.5g non-soluble fibre, 8mg calcium, 0.5mg iron, 1mg sodium, 2µg vitamin A, 0.09mg Thiamin and 11mg vitamin C. Pineapple has a score of 66 on the Glycaemic Index.