On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 739

Guarani Indian word for the fruit;pineapple
from the Spanishpiñaduetoitsresemblance
to the similarly composite pinecone.) The
plant had already spread to the Caribbean
before Columbus saw it there in 1493, and
modern breeding efforts began shortly
thereafterinFrenchandDutchglasshouses.
Pineapplesconsistofspiralsofseparate
seedlessfruitlets,between100and200of
whichfusetogetherandbecomejoinedtoa
centralcore.Duringthefusingprocess,
bacteriaandyeastsbecomeincorporatedin
theinteriorandmaylatercausehidden
spoilage.Thefruitdoesn’tstorestarch,isnot
aclimactericfruit,andwillnotsweetenor
improveinflavoroncepicked,thoughitwill
soften.Fullyripepineapplesdon’tshipwell,
soexportedpineapplesareharvestedearly,
withaslittleashalfthesugarcontentthat
they’recapableofdeveloping,andafraction
ofthearoma.Brownorblackregionsinthe
interiorarecausedbychillinginjuryduring


shipmentorstorage;translucentareasseemto
becausedbygrowingconditionsthatloadthe
fruitcellwallswithsugars.Thequalityof
pineapplesfromthesubtropicsislessreliable
thanthatoffruitfromneartheequator,where
seasonalandclimaticvariationisminimal.
Pineapple Flavor Pineapples are remarkable

fortheintensityoftheirflavor,theexperience
of which the 19th-century English writer
Charles Lamb described as “almost too
transcendent…a pleasure bordering on pain,
fromthefiercenessandinsanityofherrelish.”
At their best they are both very sweet and
quite tart (from citric acid), and with a rich
aroma provided by a complex mixture of
fruity esters, pungent sulfur compounds,
essences of vanilla and clove (vanillin,
eugenol), and several oxygen-containing
carbon rings with caramel and sherry
overtones. A given pineapple has many
different flavor zones. The fruitlets near the