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HISTORY-Pineapple Origin
Origin of the name
The native pineapple is not native to Taiwan? Unravel the mystery of pineapple’s life experience
Pineapples are native to the Amazon River Basin of Brazil and Paraguay in tropical America, and were brought back to the West Indies of Central and South America by Caribbean residents for cultivation. The Latin genus name ananas is the name of the local resident pineapple, which means "excellent fruit".
In December 1493, Columbus sailed to the Caribbean for the second time. He anchored in a small bay next to the volcanic island of Guadaloupe in the West Indies.
Then he entered a nearby village and the crew received a warm reception. One of the things that intrigued these sailors was the pineapple. They recorded: "The appearance looks disgusting, with hard segments like pine cones; the flesh is like apples." Therefore, after the pineapple was introduced to Europe, it was called pineapple in English.
Taitung pineapple planting demonstration area
In the 16th century, with the pace of Spanish colonization and missionary work, pineapples spread from Spain to the Philippines, Hawaii, India and the Indo-China Peninsula. Soon afterwards, they entered Guangdong by land from the Indochina Peninsula, where they were called "Pomelo".
Country of origin
The homeland of pineapples is in the Americas. It is said that the Italian explorer Columbus went to the Americas in the 15th century and brought pineapples back to Europe from Guadeloupe in the Caribbean in 1493 AD. With the advent of the Age of Discovery, pineapples have also spread to the world, including China. It is speculated that the Portuguese first brought pineapples to Macau in the 16th century and then entered the country. Historical records show that the Portuguese arrived in Macau in the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty and in early 153 AD and requested trade. The following year they received permission to trade along the coast of Guangdong. There is no clear record of the actual situation of pineapples entering China, but it must not have been common in the early days. There are also online messages that change the word pineapple in the above text to boluo, because the name for pineapple in Fujian is boluo, the same as in Guangdong and Hong Kong. However, the "Compendium of Materia Medica" finalized in 1578, the sixth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, did not mention either pineapple or polo.
Compendium of Materia Medica
Centennial pineapple factory building restoration tells the story of the glory days of the pineapple industry
There are no native pineapples in Taiwan. The existing pineapples are all exotic species, including the so-called "native pineapples". Pineapples are very popular. Taiwan's annual pineapple output is approximately 420,000 metric tons in 2021. The main production area is Pingtung, the southernmost location, accounting for nearly 30% of the total output. The neighboring Kaohsiung and Tainan each account for 15%. There are also a small amount of plantings in northern Taiwan, including Beitou, Taipei City, and Tamsui and Sanzhi, New Taipei City. Beitou was rich in pineapples during the Qing Dynasty, and a settlement called "Pineapple House" was formed, but now only sporadic plantings remain.
References:Origin of the name pineapple
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