onlypineapples

Only pine­apples.

Everything about the pineapple and nothing else: how it grows, where it came from, how to pick a good one, and how to grow your own from the top you were going to throw away.

A pineapple whose eyes are arranged in spirals

Every pineapple hides a Fibonacci pattern. Tap a button to see it.

One fruit, a hundred flowers

A pineapple isn’t a single fruit. It starts as a spike of purple-blue flowers, and as each flower is pollinated or not, it swells and fuses with its neighbours. Every hexagonal “eye” on the rind is what’s left of one flower.

The plant is a bromeliad, Ananas comosus, a cousin of the air plants and Spanish moss. Like many desert plants it opens its pores at night to take in carbon dioxide, which helps it hold on to water in dry, sandy soil.

100–200
flowers fuse to make one pineapple.
18–24 months
from planting to the first harvest on a commercial farm.
1 per plant
main fruit per cycle. Side shoots can carry a second, smaller crop.
8 and 13
spirals of eyes, winding in opposite directions. Both are Fibonacci numbers.

From Paraguay to your pizza

The pineapple was domesticated in South America long before Europeans saw one, and it spread through the Caribbean with the people who grew it.

  1. Before 1492

    Grown across South America and the Caribbean, likely first domesticated in the region around Paraguay and southern Brazil.

  2. 1493

    Columbus’s crew finds pineapples on Guadeloupe and carries the fruit back to Spain.

  3. c. 1675

    Charles II of England poses for a painting being presented with a pineapple. Growing one in a European hothouse costs a fortune, so the fruit becomes a symbol of wealth and hospitality.

  4. 1761

    The Dunmore Pineapple, a garden building topped by a giant stone pineapple, is built in Scotland. It still stands.

  5. 1901

    James Dole founds the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. Canning makes pineapple cheap and available everywhere.

  6. 1962

    Sam Panopoulos puts pineapple on a pizza at his restaurant in Chatham, Ontario. The “Hawaiian” pizza is Canadian.

  7. Today

    Costa Rica is the world’s largest exporter, and most fresh pineapples in shops are a single sweet variety, MD-2.

Not all pineapples are the same

There are dozens of cultivars. These are the ones you are most likely to meet.

VarietyFleshWhat it’s like
MD-2Deep yellowThe supermarket standard since the 1990s. Very sweet, low acid, stays fresh longer after picking. Often sold as “gold” or “extra sweet.”
Smooth CayennePale yellowThe classic canning pineapple. Large, juicy, more tart than MD-2, with nearly spineless leaves.
Queen VictoriaBright yellowSmall and very fragrant, with a crunchy texture. Grown in South Africa, Réunion and Mauritius.
Red SpanishPale, fibrousA Caribbean variety with a reddish rind. Tough enough to ship long distances; aromatic but less sweet.
SugarloafWhiteConical, very low acid, so sweet you can eat the core. Rarely exported because it bruises easily.

Pick it, then cut it

A pineapple doesn’t get any sweeter once it’s picked. It can soften and turn yellow on your counter, but the sugar is set the day it leaves the plant.

Choosing: smell the base. It should smell sweet and like pineapple, not like vinegar. Pick one that feels heavy for its size, gives very slightly when squeezed, and has green, fresh-looking leaves. Rind colour isn’t a reliable guide, since MD-2s can be ripe while still green.

  1. Top and tail. Lay it on its side and slice off the crown and about a centimetre of the base.
  2. Remove the rind. Stand it upright and cut the skin away in strips from top to bottom, following the curve.
  3. Take out the eyes. The leftover brown eyes run in diagonal spirals. Cut a shallow V-shaped groove along each spiral and they come out in one strip, with far less waste.
  4. Core it. Quarter it lengthwise and slice the tough core off each quarter. Then cut into wedges or chunks.

Grow one from the top

The crown of a store-bought pineapple will root and grow into a new plant. It needs warmth, bright light and patience: expect two to three years before it fruits.

  1. Twist off the crown. Hold the fruit, grip the leaves and twist. Scrape off any flesh left at the bottom so it doesn’t rot.
  2. Strip the lower leaves. Pull off leaves until you have 2–3 cm of bare stem, then let it dry for a few days.
  3. Root it. Stand the stem in a glass of water or plant it straight into free-draining potting mix. Roots appear in a few weeks.
  4. Keep it warm and bright. Above about 18 °C, in the sunniest spot you have. Water lightly; it hates wet feet.
  5. Nudge it to flower. Once the plant is large and mature, seal it in a clear bag with a ripe apple for a few days. The ethylene gas can trigger flowering.

In the kitchen

Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, a mix of enzymes that break down protein. That one fact explains most of its kitchen quirks.

Why your mouth tingles

Bromelain starts digesting the proteins on your tongue and cheeks while you eat. Riper fruit and eating it with salt or alongside other food both soften the effect.

Why jelly won’t set

Gelatin is protein, so fresh pineapple breaks it down. Canned or cooked pineapple works fine, because heat switches the enzymes off.

A natural tenderiser

A short pineapple marinade softens meat. Keep it to an hour or so, or the surface turns mushy.

Recipes

Six ways to use a whole pineapple, from the fruit to the rind you’d normally throw out. Open any recipe to see the ingredients and method.

Grilled pineapple with chilli-lime saltCaramelised spears with a salty, spicy dust. The easiest thing on this page. 15 min, serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 8 spears
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp flaky salt
  • 1 tsp chilli powder (or ½ tsp cayenne for more heat)
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lime, plus wedges to serve

Method

  1. Heat a grill or griddle pan until very hot.
  2. Mix the salt, chilli powder and lime zest in a small bowl.
  3. Brush the spears lightly with honey and grill for 2–3 minutes per side, until they have dark char marks.
  4. Sprinkle with the chilli-lime salt while hot and serve with lime wedges.

Leftovers are excellent chopped into salsa (the next recipe) or served over vanilla ice cream.

Pineapple salsaBright and sharp. Good with fish, tacos, grilled chicken or just chips. 15 min, serves 4–6

Ingredients

  • 2 cups finely diced fresh pineapple
  • ½ red onion, finely diced
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
  • ½ red bell pepper, finely diced
  • A handful of cilantro, chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Put the diced onion in a sieve and rinse with cold water. This takes the harsh edge off.
  2. Combine everything in a bowl and season with salt.
  3. Rest for 15 minutes so the juices come together, then taste and add more lime or salt if needed.

Best eaten the same day. After a day the pineapple starts to soften the other ingredients.

Pork and pineapple tacos, al pastor styleA home version of the Mexico City classic, made in a skillet instead of on a spit. 40 min + marinating, serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1½ lb (700 g) pork shoulder, sliced very thin
  • 2 tbsp achiote paste
  • 2 tbsp ancho chilli powder
  • ½ cup pineapple juice
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp each ground cumin and dried oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced small
  • 12 small corn tortillas
  • To serve: diced white onion, cilantro, lime wedges

Method

  1. Blend the achiote, chilli powder, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano and salt until smooth.
  2. Toss the pork in the marinade and refrigerate for 2–4 hours.
  3. Heat a large skillet over high heat with a little oil. Cook the pork in batches without crowding, 2–3 minutes per side, until charred at the edges. Chop it into small pieces.
  4. In the same pan, sear the diced pineapple for 2–3 minutes until it browns.
  5. Warm the tortillas and fill with pork, pineapple, onion and cilantro. Squeeze lime over the top.

Fresh pineapple juice contains bromelain, which turns meat mushy if left too long. For an overnight marinade, use canned juice, which has been heated so its enzymes no longer work.

Pineapple fried riceSweet, salty and fast. A good use for leftover rice and the last of a pineapple. 20 min, serves 3–4

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked rice, cold from the fridge
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
  • ½ cup frozen peas
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
  • 3 spring onions, sliced, and a handful of roasted cashews

Method

  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or large pan over high heat. Scramble the eggs until just set, then tip them out.
  2. Add the remaining oil, the onion and garlic. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the pineapple and cook for 2 minutes until it starts to brown.
  4. Add the rice, breaking up clumps, and the curry powder. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until hot.
  5. Add the peas, soy sauce, fish sauce and egg. Toss for another minute, then top with spring onions and cashews.

For a showpiece, halve a pineapple lengthwise, scoop out the flesh to use in the recipe, and serve the rice in the shell.

Pineapple upside-down cakeButter-and-brown-sugar caramel under a soft vanilla sponge, made with fresh pineapple. 1 hr 10 min, serves 8

Topping

  • 4 tbsp (60 g) butter
  • ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
  • 6–7 fresh pineapple rings, about ½ inch thick, cored
  • Cherries for the centres (optional)

Cake

  • ½ cup (115 g) butter, softened
  • ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup (120 ml) pineapple juice or milk

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Melt the topping butter directly in a 9-inch round cake pan in the oven, then sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over it.
  2. Arrange the pineapple rings on the sugar, with cherries in the centres if using.
  3. Beat the softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
  4. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to the batter in two parts, alternating with the juice, mixing only until smooth.
  5. Spread the batter over the pineapple and bake for 40–45 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
  6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge, then turn it out onto a plate.

Don’t leave it in the pan much longer than 10 minutes. Once the caramel sets, the fruit sticks to the pan.

TepacheA lightly fizzy Mexican drink fermented from pineapple rinds. Zero waste. 10 min + 2–3 days, makes 2 quarts

Ingredients

  • Rind and core of 1 ripe pineapple, rinsed but not scrubbed
  • 1 cup (200 g) piloncillo or dark brown sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 2 quarts (2 L) water

Method

  1. Dissolve the sugar in 2 cups of warm water, then add the rest of the water at room temperature.
  2. Put the rind, core and spices in a large glass jar and pour the sugar water over them.
  3. Cover with a cloth held on with a rubber band and leave at room temperature, out of direct sun.
  4. After a day, skim off any white foam. Taste daily. It’s ready when it’s lightly fizzy and tangy, usually after 2–3 days.
  5. Strain, then refrigerate. Serve over ice, on its own or with a splash of beer or sparkling water.

Don’t wash the rind with soap: the wild yeasts on its surface are what ferment the drink. If it goes much past 3–4 days it turns into vinegar. Discard it if you see fuzzy or coloured mould.