Who Lives In a Pineapple Under the Sea?!

                It was interesting to ask my family this weeks questions, because I was surprised by their answers. The first question I asked was how is pineapple eaten and served in Costa Rica. My family said that pineapple is a very important part of the Tican diet because it is in various dishes, not only served raw. I was expecting to hear actual dinner dishes including the pineapple, but their answers surprised me. My sister said that she has pineapple jelly on her toast almost every morning for breakfast, my seven year old brother loves pineapple candies, my mom loves pineapple pastries, my grandmother uses pineapple cream, and my teenage brother loves pineapple on his pizza. I found it fascinating that all of the different generations in my Tican family enjoy the pineapple, but in various ways and dishes. Whenever I think of pineapple, I imagine the whole fruit, with its tough skin and green crown. I never thought about the actual pineapple “flavor” being sold, instead of the raw fruit. The artificial pineapple flavorings (in the Tang drink, candies, pastries, etc.) reminds me a lot of the artificial flavorings we have in the United States. We often see strawberry flavored candies, grape jellies, and apple turnovers. The artificial pineapple flavoring is the same idea, except Costa Rica is using a more plentiful and available fruit. It symbolizes the importance of the pineapple to their culture.

                When I asked my family why the pineapple was important to Costa Rica and its cultural significance, they all looked around hoping someone else would answer the question. I was a little taken back that my family couldn’t think of a reason why the pineapple was important to their culture. Finally, my grandmother answered that since the pineapple is grown in Costa Rica, it is a major export and helps the economy. My sister also chimed in that Pina Coladas are a very popular drink at bars, especially hotels. Since Costa Rica depends on the tourism industry, it makes sense that Ticans are happy the pineapple also serves as a fancy indulgence beverage. (I thought this answer to be extremely comical) My Tican family was only aware of the “normal” pineapple grown in Costa Rica, and believes it is the same pineapple that has always been grown. I found it interesting that they did not talk about the pineapple with the same enthusiasm and pride as when we discussed coffee. Even though both commodities are important to Costa Rica, it is obvious that Ticans take much more pride in growing coffee.

                From all of our readings and class discussions, the pineapple has been considered the “King’s Fruit” and the “Princess of all Fruits”. After speaking with my family, I am wondering if the pineapple still has that significance to the Costa Rican culture? The pineapple flavor is still very prevalent throughout all of the grocery stores, and there are various foods with pineapple flavoring, but does it still represent the status and wealth it once did? Costa Ricans obviously love the pineapple (because it is everywhere!) but I believe the overall symbolic meaning of the pineapple has changed.

                The photos I included were a pineapple pastry and pineapple jelly.  As I discussed earlier, the pineapple takes many forms besides just a raw fruit. Especially in the supermarket, the various forms of the pineapple can be seen. My favorite form of the pineapple has been the icecream. I believe Costa Rica has a much wider variety of pineapple flavored foods because it is a locally grown commodity, and easily accessible.