Pineapple has been developed into fruit by South American residents for nearly 4000 years. When the Spanish explorer Columbus led a group of people to America by boat in 1493, he was immediately attracted by all the colors and tastes of pineapples.

The origin of pineapple name:

Because pineapple is very similar to a pine cone, it has a name "Pi Na" in Spanish, which later evolved into "pineapple" in English. Its Chinese name comes from two sources: first, the terminal bud of pineapple is like the tail of a phoenix, so it is called pineapple (Minnan and Taiwan Province provinces); Second, it looks a bit like jackfruit, so it borrowed the name of jackfruit and became a pineapple.

I believe many people like to eat pineapples, but they are afraid that pineapples will prick their mouths. Why do pineapples prick their mouths?

After reading Science World, I understand two things:

Pineapple is different from other fruits. It is not a simple fruit, but clusters of small flowers. The edible part of pineapple includes flowers without seeds and inflorescence axis (round hard core in the center of pineapple) that supports these flowers. When eating pineapple, you need to "dig your eyes", that is, you need to remove the residual stamen structure in the hole (see the picture above). If the removal is not complete, there will be a feeling of "stabbing the mouth" or "stabbing the throat".

Secondly, scientists observed through experiments that the "thorn" of pineapple may be related to the needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate in pulp. Soaking in salt water will dissolve the needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate in water, and heating treatment can also remove the needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate, which makes it less "biting" to eat.

How can I eat pineapple with good taste?

First look at the country of origin. China's high-quality pineapples are produced in Tainan, Taiwan Province Province, Yangjiang, Guangdong Province and Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, and the pineapples in south-central Hainan are also good.

The second is to look at the output time. Although pineapple has fruit all year round, it is delicious only when it is rainy and hot and sunny in the same season. So May-July is the best time to eat pineapple every year.

The third is to eat fresh. The rule that fruits are sweeter does not apply to pineapples. The sweetness of pineapple picking is the highest sweetness of pineapple. Fully mature pineapples are not resistant to storage and transportation, so pineapples put on the market are usually picked before maturity.

Therefore, if you want to eat really delicious pineapple, you must choose a good day to go to the country of origin!