A native of the Americas, the pineapple was named pina by the Spanish because of the fruit's obvious resemblance to a pinecone. A pinecone wearing a crown, to be sure. A sweet juicy tropical delight, the pineapple is a member of the bromeliad family. This grouping of plants is almost entirely American and features both wet and dry-thriving examples, many of which have spiny leaves.

The pineapple is a native of Brazil and neighboring Paraguay and has been cultivated for thousands of years. The Tupi-Guarani tribes carried the plant throughout the tropics of the American continent. In Peru the pineapple as decorative design was a theme on ancient pottery. By the 15th century the plant was also established in the West Indies.

Actually sampled by Christopher Columbus and his crew on the West Indian island of Guadeloupe on November 4, 1493, the pineapple was prized by the local Carib Indians who supposedly indicated welcome to friends by hanging pineapples above their dwelling places. A somewhat different signal was sent to their enemies--- the Carib fortified their villages with spiky, pineapple hedges.

The pineapple didn't reach Hawaii until 1813, brought there by a Spaniard. But the Hawaiian pineapple business didn't take off until about 1902. By the 1950's Hawaii was supplying ¾ of the world's supply of pineapple, most of it canned. These days the big pineapple powers, Dole and Heinz, can no pineapple in Hawaii, though they still ship fresh pineapple. Their canning suppliers are in Thailand, the Philippines and Kenya.