In Europe, pineapple quickly took root and became quite a popular fruit. Fruits were also grown in Russia. First in the royal greenhouses, then in ordinary greenhouses and winter gardens. It’s hard to believe today, but in the 19th century in Ukraine, pineapples were not only cultivated, but also exported surplus to Europe.
General information about pineapples
The pineapple fruit has oval shape with a green petiole of pointed leaves at the top. A bundle with leaves is commonly called a "sultan". The pulp of the fruit is juicy, tender sweet. But getting to it is not easy - it is firmly protected by armor made of an elastic cortical layer covered with soft spines. Depending on the place of growth and variety, the fruits can have a weight of one and a half to five kilograms.
Pineapple is native to the South American continent. It was from there that the exotic fruit spread throughout the world and is cultivated in many countries. You can grow fruits in the open air on plantations, in greenhouses or at home, as a houseplant. The main exporters of sweet fruit are the states of South America, Thailand, African countries, and the Philippines.
Pineapple varieties
More than fifty varieties of pineapple are known, which differ in the degree of sweetness or juiciness, size, shape, color of the pulp, etc. The most common and in demand fruits of varieties:
- Crested is one of the most fragrant;
- Gold - considered the sweetest;
- Cayenne - sweet, smooth-leaved;
- Red Spanish - sweet and sour, resistant to long-term storage;
- Queen - small in size, early ripening pineapple.
What is useful pineapple
Nobody argues that this fruit is delicious, but does pineapple contain beneficial features? Yes! And he has a lot of them. The composition of pineapple, in addition to vitamins, organic acids and minerals, includes a special enzyme - bromelain. It is highly active and favors the rapid breakdown of proteins in the stomach, accelerating the digestion process.
The benefits of pineapple have been confirmed for:
- thrombosis;
- inflammatory processes (tonsillitis, pneumonia, etc.);
- hypertension;
- salt deposition;
- varicose veins;
- slagging of the body;
- increased blood viscosity.
To enhance the therapeutic effect, the fruit is best consumed on an empty stomach. And the “fault” of everything is bromelain. If pineapple enters the stomach during or after a meal, then all the activity of bromelain will be directed to the breakdown of proteins. And it is necessary that the maximum amount of this valuable enzyme penetrate the body, and not settle in the digestive tract.
Contraindications for use
Pineapple is a tasty and seemingly harmless fruit. But it contains a high content of citric, malic and ascorbic acids, which can irritate the mucous membrane or walls of the stomach, thin the tooth enamel. Therefore, even healthy people should eat fresh fruits with a restriction, in small quantities.
Anas for pregnant women
Many are interested in whether pregnant women can eat pineapple? On the one hand, it has a lot of useful things, it relieves edema, heaviness in the stomach, alleviates the condition with nausea and toxicosis, and improves well-being. On the other hand, bromelain contained in pineapple can lead to uterine tone or contraction. Therefore, obstetricians allow pregnant women to treat themselves to pineapple in the third trimester, and in the first and second, to minimize consumption.
Pineapple for kids
Pineapple can harm children under six years of age, who still have delicate mucous membranes. Therefore, for crumbs, fruit consumption should be strictly limited. Pineapple is not recommended to include in the diet:
- hypotensive patients;
- allergy sufferers;
- suffering from gastritis (high acidity) and stomach ulcers;
- people with low blood viscosity.
How to choose a sweet pineapple
Only a ripe pineapple can be sweet, juicy and fragrant. Therefore, in order to enjoy the divine taste, and not to set the teeth on edge, the fruit must be chosen correctly. If you know some tricks, it will be much easier to do this:
- To determine the degree of maturity of a pineapple, you need to try to pull a couple of the top leaves from the outlet. If they separate easily, then the fruit is ripe enough. From the outside, this procedure looks somewhat funny, but I also don’t want to buy a pig in a poke;
- The aroma of the fruit will tell you about the ripeness of the fruit. If a fragrance emanates from the fruits, then they are fully ripe, sweet and were recently collected from the plantation. They are usually sent to consumers by plane to prevent the product from spoiling. Most often, pineapples are plucked at the stage of technical maturity so that the fruits ripen on the way. They are also suitable for consumption, but have a weak aroma and lose first in nutritional and taste value. Unripe fruits do not spoil for a long time, which is beneficial for both senders and recipients, but not for consumers. Small consolation for them will be the fact that such pineapples are cheaper.
- If fruits of different varieties are offered to choose from, you should stop at pineapples, in which thorns are located along the edges of the leaves. Such fruits are always sweeter than fruits with a smooth-leaved bunch.
- If a pineapple is in the window in a section, you need to look at the color of the pulp. In ripe fruits, it has a rich yellow-golden color. If the flesh is pale, then the fruit is unripe.
- To the touch, a ripe pineapple is always elastic, slightly soft. A very hard peel or too soft indicates that something is wrong with the fruit. Either it is green or the fermentation process has begun in the pulp.
Use in cooking
Traditionally, pineapple is served as a dessert - separately, in combination with other fruits, chocolate, ice cream. Candied fruits are made from ripe fruits, juice is squeezed out, jams are cooked. All this, of course, is delicious, but you should not limit yourself to sweets.
You can safely add this exotic fruit to meat salads or side dishes. But without fanaticism, so as not to interrupt the taste of the main ingredients. With potatoes or, for example, pasta, it is difficult to imagine pineapple. But with seafood, meat, fish, poultry, it combines just perfectly.
- the largest pineapple grown during cultivation was a fruit weighing eight kilograms. Such a giant was born in 1994;
- the fruit got its name from the word "nana", which in one of the adverbs of the Indian language means "sweet";
- to prevent heaviness in the stomach when overeating, you need to eat a couple of slices of pineapple. This contributes to better digestion of food, similar to the action of the drug mezim.
Pineapple is the fruit of a herbaceous tropical plant. Its homeland is the Brazilian highlands. It was from there that this culture spread throughout the world, first to Africa and Asia, and in the middle of the seventeenth century to Europe.
In many European countries, including Russia, they tried to grow pineapple in indoor greenhouses, but with the development of shipping transport, and later with the advent of aviation, this was no longer necessary. In total, there are about eighty varieties of pineapple in the world.
To date, the largest pineapple plantations, up to 30% of world trade, are located in the Hawaiian Islands. Pineapples are supplied to Russia mainly from Asian countries: Thailand, the Philippines, India and China.
Composition
Ripe pineapple has a dense yellowish scaly peel and a pleasant unobtrusive aroma. It can weigh both 500 grams and four kilograms. Its pulp tastes sweet, which is provided by 15% of the sugars that make up its composition and juicy, due to the fact that it consists of 86% water.
In addition, pineapple contains organic acids, proteins and carbohydrates. Pineapple is a source of dietary fiber (fiber) needed to improve the digestion process.
Numerous trace elements, in particular, iodine, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, phosphorus and zinc, complete the composition of pineapple. And of course, bromelain is a biologically active substance that destroys proteins.
His discovery greatly increased the popularity of this fruit, although it is found mainly in the "stump" of pineapple. For all its usefulness, pineapple is also low in calories, from 47 to 52 calories per 100 grams of product.
Pineapple has a wide range of human health benefits. However, it should be noted that these properties have nothing to do with canned pineapple, which is just an ordinary sweet. Greatest effect will be achieved by eating fresh ripe pineapple, but its frozen version also retains some of the healing components.
To healing properties pineapple include:
- stimulation of the digestion process, by increasing the enzymatic activity of gastric juice;
- lowering blood pressure;
- blood thinning, preventing the occurrence of blood clots;
- anti-inflammatory action;
- dissolution of fibrin plugs in varicose veins;
- cleansing of blood vessels;
- removal of toxins from the body;
- restorative effect.
Regular consumption of pineapple is considered as the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system, namely atherosclerosis, stroke, myocardial infarction.
Treatment of arthritis, bronchitis, pneumonia, and many infectious diseases is recommended to be combined with pineapple therapy. It is believed that the inclusion of pineapple in the diet can also help the central nervous system.
In addition, it is useful as one of the auxiliary measures for getting sunstroke.
Pineapple, due to the high content of ascorbic acid, is indispensable for signs of colds, it will help to cope with their first symptoms and general malaise.
The presence of bromelain in pineapple has a rejuvenating effect on the human body, maintains the tone of the skin and restrains their age-related changes. Based on it, many dietary supplements, teas and other homeopathic preparations are produced today.
Indications for use
In reasonable quantities, pineapple is useful for most people, but doctors especially advise people over 40 to pay attention to it and diversify their diet with both fresh pineapple and freshly squeezed pineapple juice. It is recommended to use it between main meals.
The ability of pineapple to increase the content of serotonin in the blood, thereby dulling the feeling of hunger, makes it an indispensable product on the table of everyone who wants to lose weight, and especially those who are struggling with obesity.
Nutritionists recommend having fasting days, once a week, during which you can afford only a kilogram of pineapple. It should be divided into four servings and eaten throughout the day, while eating nothing else.
Such a "one-time" diet helps not only get rid of one overweight, but also cleanse the body of toxins, as well as strengthen the immune system.
Pineapple is a saving "female" fruit, as it helps to cope with painful menstruation. Include it in your daily menu shortly before the start of the “critical days” and discomfort will be significantly reduced or may be completely absent.
Contraindications
Excessive consumption of fresh pineapple in food can lead to damage to the oral mucosa and indigestion. It is better to exclude it from the diet for people with increased secretory activity of gastric juice, patients with gastritis, stomach ulcers and pregnant women.
There are also contraindications for children under the age of 6, as pineapple can cause irritation of the intestinal mucosa in them. This, of course, does not mean that you should completely deprive your child of such a healthy and tasty fruit, but in order to avoid painful sensations, it is better to monitor the amount of absorption.
Source: https://www.inmoment.ru/beauty/health-body/pineapple1.html
valuable fruit
This beautiful tropical fruit a few years ago made me hopefully attract the close attention of a huge number of people who want to finally achieve weight loss and harmony. The researchers found the presence of bromelain in pineapple- an enzyme complex that accelerates the breakdown of fats and proteins, which in itself is valuable and unique.
Description
Pineapple has always been valued for its delicate aroma and delicate unique taste, and now, finally, it and medicinal properties.
Composition of pineapple declares it as a source of nutrients and nutrients: 86% of its pulp consists of water, proteins 0.4%, sugars 11.5%, citric acid 0.7%, dietary fiber 0.4% and up to 50 mg% ascorbic acid.
As well as provitamin A, vitamins B1, B2, B12, C, PP, potassium, magnesium and other minerals and trace elements. And more than sixty aromatic substances, present in pineapple, give it this unique smell.
Eating pineapple in food helps prevent thrombophlebitis and thrombosis, as it reduces blood viscosity. It is also indicated for hypertension. Since pineapple has a decongestant effect, it is recommended for diseases of the cardiovascular system and for kidney diseases. It is recommended to drink a glass daily pineapple juice or eat half a fresh fruit.
Pineapple prevents stroke or myocardial infarction by eliminating deposits on the walls of blood vessels.
It is also believed that consuming pineapple regularly can significantly reduce muscle and joint pain (if any, of course).
dietary properties of pineapple deserve close attention. From the eaten one hundred grams of this fruit, we get only 48 calories.
It turns out that even if, unable to resist, gobble up a whole pineapple (usually a kilogram), we do not risk anything - only 480 calories.
Bromelain also used for various inflammatory diseases - tonsillitis, pneumonia, arthritis, pyelonephritis, sinusitis and others, as it has an anti-inflammatory effect.
At the first signs of a cold, an excellent healing effect will have vitamin drink from pineapple, if you drink it three times a day.
To prepare, you need to grind in a mixer 100 grams fresh fruit until smooth, add half a cup homemade kvass and a small amount of lemon juice.
Pineapple is able to prevent the development of atherosclerosis, stop inflammation, and accelerate wound healing. It stimulates the functions of digestion, is useful for pancreatic insufficiency, helps to remove the manifestations of cellulite.
All of the above properties of pineapple, or rather the bromelain present in it, appear only when it is consumed on an empty stomach.
When taken with meals and along with other foods, bromelain will act only as a digestive enzyme, increasing the enzymatic activity of gastric juice.
This will come in handy when consuming rich, high-fiber, fatty meats.
It has not yet been established for certain, but many scientists are already inclined to believe that highly concentrated pineapple enzymes can help treat cancer. But it is well established that pineapple, by binding free radicals, is a prophylactic agent for oncological diseases.
In cosmetology
AT cosmetics pineapple has become more and more popular. In face creams or tonics, it prevents the formation of facial fat and also has antibacterial properties.
Oily skin can be wiped with pineapple pulp every evening, the result will be noticeable quickly.
With the help of pineapple, it is easy to remove a corn. At night, you need to attach the pulp of this fruit to the corn, and in the morning, steaming the skin into hot water, the corn is easy to remove.
Included in toothpastes, pineapple extract provides thorough and effective gum care.
Harm
This fruit is highly acidic, and indulging in it can irritate the stomach lining, leading to ulcers. With increased acidity, you need to be more careful with pineapple.
For the same reason, tooth enamel should be protected. It has been noticed that in hot countries, in which pineapples cost almost nothing, there are a large number of toothless beauties and beauties. Yes, yes, doctors associate this with the absorption of pineapples!
Unripe pineapples have an abortifacient. Therefore, it is better for pregnant women to beware of drinking pineapple juice - who knows if it is made from high-quality and only ripe raw materials?
For weight loss
Bromelain in fact, it is so widely advertised as an enzyme that works wonders that its very popularity is suspect. Bromelain capsules are offered all over the place.
However, to date, only the fact that bromelain very well helps the process of digestion, which in itself is wonderful.
But the enormous fat-burning potential of bromelain, as sometimes advertised, is questionable. Because bromelain molecules can reach subcutaneous fat only through the blood. And in order for them to get from the intestines into the blood, they must decompose to components, which excludes their reverse recovery into bromelain.
The fact that a pineapple diet, for example, helps to get rid of a few kilograms, does not mean anything. In principle, any diet helps to get rid of a certain amount of kilograms, if it is followed exactly. A pineapple diet to follow, besides - a real pleasure. Pineapple, despite its intense sweetness, is very low in calories.
Diet tincture
Cut the greens from the washed pineapple and twist it with the peel through a meat grinder. Pour a bottle of vodka and forget about it for one week by putting it in the refrigerator. Then you can take the finished tincture 10-15 minutes before meals and at night, one tablespoon. One pineapple mixed with half a liter of vodka should last for three weeks.
The composition, of course, is not bad - pineapple breaks down fat, vodka dehydrates the body, so you can try it. They say you can lose a few pounds a month. But then again - not against the background of cheburek pies, fried chicken legs and store-bought pizza.
Although, if you have a minimum program - at least not gain weight, then it's understandable. The digestive functions of pineapple will not leave you without support.
Source: http://www.inflora.ru/diet/diet282.html
king of tropical fruits
Pineapple is native to South America. Christopher Columbus called it "the king of tropical fruits". About 40 cultivars of this fruit are now known. And they grow it throughout the tropical zone of our planet.
Pineapple fruits are not only tasty, have a delicate aroma, but also have valuable healing and preventive properties. First of all, these are vitamins, they are present there almost in full composition (vitamin C from 15 to 76 mg / 100 g).
In addition, pineapple contains 16 different minerals and trace elements - potassium, iron, zinc, iodine, manganese, magnesium, calcium, etc. Most of all in this fruit is potassium (up to 320 mg).
Pineapple contains such a rare mineral element as manganese.
Without it, the enzymes needed for the body's metabolism cannot work properly, and the result is fatigue, joint pain, irritability, and tinnitus. These are enough reasons to enjoy pineapple.
But what makes this fruit one of nature's best medicines is its incredibly high content of bromelain, a mixture of three protein-digesting enzymes. It lowers blood pressure, helps cleanse the walls of blood vessels from fatty deposits, improves blood circulation, and has an anti-inflammatory effect. For all this, bromelain is called a miracle of nature.
Medicinal properties
Pineapple has the ability to lower blood pressure and cleanse the blood vessels of deposits. For these purposes, phytotherapists recommend eating half the fruit daily or drinking 200-250 ml of freshly prepared pineapple juice. This fruit also thins the blood and prevents blood clots.
Naturopaths value pineapple as a digestive aid. To do this, during a meal, you need to eat a slice of fresh fruit or drink a glass of pineapple juice. This will be especially helpful when eating a large meal, eating a lot of fiber and meat.
With low acidity of gastric juice, it is recommended to take half a glass of pineapple juice diluted by one quarter or one third with boiled water 30 minutes before meals. It is also a moderately active choleretic agent.
With diseases of the kidneys, cardiovascular system, functional disorders of the central nervous system doctors - phytotherapists prescribe 100 - 160 ml of freshly prepared pineapple juice 2 - 3 times a day.
Pineapples and pineapple juice are also recommended for diseases of the liver, joints, anemia, after infectious diseases, they are given to weakened children. Pineapple juice is an excellent antiscorbutic agent - in this case, it is taken 1/2 - 1 cup 3 times a day. You can add a tablespoon of honey before taking. AT traditional medicine use pineapple juice for seasickness.
Unripe pineapple fruits and leaves contain a lot of acid, which can burn the skin and mucous membranes of the mouth, and act as a strong laxative on the stomach. Therefore, when buying a pineapple, do not pick off its leaves with your hands and do not bite them off.
In the event that you have tried a piece of the fruit and felt a slight burning sensation on your lips, do not use it for food. You should not eat pineapples for those who suffer from gastritis and stomach ulcers, and also have high acidity of gastric juice.
During pregnancy, you also need to give up pineapples - both fresh and canned, and even pineapple juice.
A pineapple:
- Increases the action of proteins in the body, splitting them into amino acids.
- Removes water from the body, thereby eliminating swelling.
- Helps with indigestion and intestinal disorders.
- Unloads the pancreas.
- Removes age spots from the skin.
How to choose
Buy only ripe pineapples. They are recognizable by their strong sweet odor and also by how easily the bulbous, tough scales split off. The fruit must be of the correct shape, healthy, without mechanical damage.
When choosing a pineapple, pay attention to the leaves: they should have a bright green color. In an overripe fruit, the leaves are withered, dried up, with a gray coating.
Pineapples that are green or with individual green scales are immature or not fully ripe. They are firm to the touch, without the usual good pineapple sweet smell. The taste is sour. You should not buy them, they will not ripen at home.
The fruit should be golden yellow or orange-yellow in color and have a firm shell resembling a pine nut. But an overripe pineapple will be soft, brown in color, with a sour smell. If the fruits were stored incorrectly or for a long time, their flesh darkens, becomes watery.
You should also pay attention to the base of the fruit: in no case should there be signs of mold on it.
How to store
Pineapple should not be refrigerated as it is sensitive to cold. It is better to store it at room temperature in a plastic bag with holes - it will be even more fragrant.
But you need to use it in 2 - 3 days, no more. Also, do not pour pineapple sugar syrup and keep in jars, because up to 60% of vitamins are lost.
Interestingly, the fruit can be made sweeter by turning it upside down and leaving it that way overnight.
How to cook
Pineapple is used in fresh often served for dessert. There are several ways to do this.
First of all, you need to cut off the upper and lower parts of the fruit, and then with a sharp knife remove the peel in strips from top to bottom. Then cut off the base of the fruit. In the center of the pineapple is a hard core, it also needs to be removed. To do this, the peeled fruit should be cut along its axis into four parts, and then the core should be removed with a knife. Cut the pulp into thin slices.
You can also cut the peeled pineapple across its axis and cut out the core from these circles.
Weight Loss Tool
Pineapple is a very low-calorie food - 100 g of its pulp contains only about 50 kcal. For those who want to lose weight, these are ideal fruits for diet food. With their help, you can easily lose a couple of extra pounds, and at the same time cleanse the intestines of toxins. There are two options for this.
- The first option: eat only pineapples during the day - the more, the better. If you can afford it, have a pineapple day once a week. And you will regularly remove toxins from the body.
- Option 2: Eat pineapple only for breakfast or combine it with different fruits. Try not to eat anything else in the morning. If you soon feel renewed and cheerful, then you are on the right track.
A pineapple refers to fruits.
in latin
In English: Pineapple
belongs to the family: Bromeliads
Household pineapple parts: Fruit of pineapple.
Description botanical: These are terrestrial trees, herbaceous species, with spiny stems and fairly large leaves. Adventitious roots, of which there are a lot, collect water directly above the soil and absorb moisture that accumulates on the surface of the stems and leaves.
Pineapple leaves are very large and fleshy, up to 80 cm long, they are covered with a thick layer of epidermis, these leaf blades store moisture. During the rainy season, moisture accumulates in the tissues of the leaves of this plant.
In the period when the rosette of leaves has already formed, an inflorescence is formed from the growth point, which has a lot of flowers. Flowering lasts about 20 days, after which a yellowish-golden fruit is obtained. It consists of ovaries that are fused with bracts. At the top of this fruit develops a group of leaves that are vegetative.
Bloom: blooms in the summer months.
pineapple fruit: Pineapple has a beautiful and large enough fruit, which is taken by people for food. This is enough valuable product nutrition. The weight of a pineapple fruit usually ranges from 0.8 kg to 2 kg. Individual specimens, individual fruits weigh quite a lot, up to 5 kg. Cultivated pineapples do not contain seeds. 
At the beginning of ripening, the pineapple fruit is greenish in color, with time, when the pineapple ripens, its fruit becomes a beautiful yellowish-golden color, or brown color. The color changes as this plant matures. The fruits ripen quite quickly, at optimally selected temperatures, the fruit ripening period is up to 25 days.
The optimum temperature for ripening pineapple fruits is approximately 9 degrees Celsius. pulp this plant white, or yellowish white, it has a very pleasant taste and sweet aroma. The pineapple fruit has a sweet, sour taste.
Pineapple is very low in calories, it contains only 45 kcal per 100 grams of its substance.
If this fruit is not transported correctly, the fruits deteriorate, if the temperature is too low, then the pineapple fruits can become cold. The walls of the cells of the fetus are quickly destroyed and filled with moisture, which causes rotting of the pineapple fruit. 
Also, similar properties may have an overripe pineapple. It is very similar to the overheated fruit of this plant.
pineapple habitat: This fruit is grown mainly in South America, in countries such as Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and others. Pineapple grows in the tropical part of the continent.
Elements: Pineapple fruit is quite sweet and tasty. It contains a lot of sugar, about 11%. The composition of sugars in pineapple includes glucose, fructose, sucrose. Also, the pulp of the pineapple fruit contains 0.4% organic acids, mainly tartaric and citric acids. In the pulp of mature pineapples there are inclusions of nitrogen elements and other similar elements. Pineapple fruits contain a lot of potassium, pectin substances and others.
The fruits have a lot of vitamins that will be useful to people. The composition contains many vitamins, such as: vitamin A, B1, B2, C, and provitamin A.
Practical use:
This pineapple, especially useful for children and the sick, it increases hemoglobin and contains a large number of useful substances. This product is recommended for high acidity of the body.
Most often, pineapples are consumed fresh, they are served on the table as a dessert, they are very tasty and healthy. Before eating, cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple, and then cut off the peel of the fruit. To eat, cut the pineapple into circles.
Pineapple is very useful for people who decide to lose weight. excess weight. Pineapple can be served for breakfast along with other fruits. Eating pineapple increases the healing rate of various wounds and wounds. Pineapple juice is very life-giving and brings a lot of vitamins to the body.
Bromelain, which is found in pineapple, has anti-inflammatory properties.
Another completely new effect of pineapple on the human body, doctors have noticed recently. Pineapple juice contains enzymes that are converted in the body into useful substances that help fight cancer cells. It turns out that some tribes that live near the Amazon have long been using pineapple to fight this disease.
Many drugs based on pineapple substances are already appearing, which are used to prevent cancer.
Pineapple is widely used in folk medicine. The peoples of South America, who grow pineapples, have especially many treatment recipes.
Pineapple fruits are used to make gruel, which helps against bedsores, skin diseases and other similar diseases of the human body.
In some Caribbean countries, people take pineapple fruit in order to increase potency and sexual desire. Pineapples are traded by many peoples, some people are engaged in the business of growing these food products.
Some countries use pineapple to feed domestic animals such as pigs and cows. 
Harm of pineapple: You should eat pineapple very carefully, too much pineapple juice in the body can cause an allergic reaction. If you eat a lot of this fruit, you can get poisoned. Pineapple pulp, like the pulp of many other fruits, can accumulate nitrates and other harmful substances.
Pineapple varieties: There are many types of pineapples, the most common of them are Cayenne smooth, Red Spanish, Monte Lirio, Queen, Singaporean. All pineapples differ in color, taste, shape and size. In some pineapples, the flesh is harder, in some softer, in some the color of the pulp is yellowish, and in some it is almost white.
Meet pineapples different sizes and types. Without this tropical fruit it is difficult to imagine the menu of local restaurants and cafes. And it begins to seem that pineapple is one of the national fruits of Thailand.
However, it is not. The birthplace of an exotic fruit is on the other side of the globe. This is Brazil. It was from there that the "march" of pineapple began on the planet. The first Europeans to taste the juicy Brazilian fruit were the sailors of Christopher Columbus. The logbook of the Santa Maria even has a record of the great navigator about this event.
At the end of the fifteenth century, candied pineapple came to Europe. In the sixteenth century, the fruit began to be cultivated in Asia and Africa. Later, pineapple was grown in the royal greenhouses near St. Petersburg. In the nineteenth century, about 3 thousand pounds of 80 varieties of pineapples were exported to Europe from Ukrainian greenhouses per year. Today, Thailand is one of the three main world producers and suppliers of pineapples.
Botanical description of pineapple
Since school years, everyone knows that pineapple is a herb. A real biologist would tell you that the genus of herbaceous plants Pineapple (Ananas) belongs to the Bromeliad family and comes from tropical South America. The most common type that we eat is Pineapple large-tufted(Ananas comosus).
Representatives of the genus Pineapple are terrestrial plants, with a prickly stem and hard leaves. Numerous adventitious roots develop right in the axils of the leaves of this fruit, absorbing the moisture accumulating there. Pineapple leaves - succulent (accumulating moisture), broad-linear, fleshy and prickly-toothed at the edges - reach a length of 80 cm. Under the thick epidermis covering the leaves is a layer of water-retaining tissue that accumulates moisture during the rainy season.
When a rosette of leaves forms in a young pineapple, a peduncle is formed in it, dotted with bisexual flowers. After 20 days of flowering, a cone-shaped yellow-golden seedling is formed, which is a set of ovaries fused with bracts and the axis of the inflorescence. The vegetative leaves formed at the top form a tuft. The genus Pineapple consists of 9 species.
Pineapple in legends and beliefs
The wide distribution of pineapple in the tropical and subtropical zones of the Earth is reflected in the folklore of the peoples cultivating it. The mention of an exotic fruit can be found in poems, songs, legends and beliefs. different countries. In folk art, pineapple is endowed with magical powers - in Latin America, the plant was often used in religious rituals and treatment.
Useful properties of pineapple
Pineapple is a juicy and delicious tropical fruit. In addition, it contains about sixty substances that give it a characteristic aroma. By the amount of these substances of vitamins, pineapple can be safely attributed to medicinal plants.
Pineapple contains magnesium, potassium, proteins, ascorbic acid, dietary fiber, sugar, water, vitamins C, PP, B1, B12, B2. And what is it worth the most useful substance bromelain, which can break down proteins and relieve inflammation ... In a word, pineapple - pharmacy in miniature. The healing effect that manifests itself when eating pineapple is expressed in improving the fermentation of the body, thinning the blood, preventing and treating thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, cardiovascular diseases, joint and muscle pain.
It is believed that pineapple is an excellent tool for weight loss. This opinion is wrong. Despite low calorie(50 kcal per 100 g), pineapple has a high glycemic index. This means that having satisfied your hunger with pineapple, you will want to eat again very quickly.
Pineapple: harm and contraindications
Despite all the praise healing properties pineapple, this exotic fruit also has a “dark side”. For example, pineapple will do more harm than good to patients with gastritis or stomach ulcers suffering from hyperacidity. Dentists recommend not eating pineapple in large quantities, since the juice of this fruit acts destructively on tooth enamel. Pregnant women are extremely contraindicated in the use of pineapple juice - fermented pineapple acquires abortive properties.
What is the right way to eat pineapple?
What is the right way to eat pineapple? How to prepare it for use?
You need to take a pineapple and separate the bottom and top from it. Then cut the fruit lengthwise into four identical parts. At the "top" of each slice is a hard core. It must be carefully separated and peeled pineapple skin.
The resulting juicy pulp can be cut into slices and eaten. Bon appetit!
How to store pineapple?
If you bought a firm, unripe pineapple, keep it at room temperature until ripe. Carefully observe the skin of the fruit - the appearance of brown spots on it indicates that the pineapple has begun to deteriorate.
Ripe fruit is stored in the refrigerator. Minimum storage temperature +7°C , maximum +10°C . To protect neighboring products from the aromatic smell of pineapple, it should be packaged in a wrapper. To avoid debate, the fruit must be turned over periodically. Pineapple can also be preserved in slices or made into jam.