Piñas

I think that the pineapple for Costa Rica, in terms of consumption, can be compared to the strawberry for the States.  It is eaten  raw most of the time when the whole fruit is eaten.  Additionally, however, it is in jellies and desserts and juices.  Candies and other flavored snacks are sold with a pineapple flavoring. This is similar to our treatment of the strawberry.  My family eats pineapple primarily as the raw fruit for breakfast. Almost every day I have a big pile of pineapple. 

My family said that there used to be more white pineapple sold here, but now there is pretty much only one kind.  Or at least that they couldn't distinguish between different kinds.  

Pineapple is a very important export crop in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is the third largest exporter of pineapple in the world. Just like with bananas, the best of the best gets exported and the second best (or maybe even third or fourth best) stays here for sale. My mom talked about that a lot, but since she loves pineapple she says she couldn't imagine how the best of the best would taste since what they have here is so good. 

My mom also talked about the cultivation of the pineapple here. Just like bananas, pineapples are mostly cultivated by Nicaraguans (I wasn't sure if that was just a stereotype, so I googled it and it said that 60% of pineapple workers are Nicaraguan). My family does not have any prejudice against Nicaraguans because my tico dad's best friend in colegio was a Nicaraguan immigrant. Hearing about who cultivates the pineapples, however, made me wonder if there are any of the same connotations to pineapples as there are for bananas. My tica mom seemed to think that there was some prejudice but that it mostly just came from prejudice against Nicaraguans in general and didn't impact the pineapple industry. She did say that pineapple workers are not paid very much. Beyond the vaguely racial connotations, my tica mom did not think the pineapple symbolized much of anything. She said its value lay in its export value. 

Pineapple juice served with our dinner.  

Piña Colada with a slice of fresh pineapple on the side. 

Pineapples are very commonly used as flavoring here in Costa Rica. This means that it is in juices and cookies and candies and jellies. In the US, we mainly eat our pineapple raw and then it is a special treat because it is exotic and expensive. 

Pineapples!

In my family pineapple is not as popular as bananas and papayas. Don’t get me wrong, my family likes pineapple, but it is not eaten as frequently as bananas and papayas are. When I asked my family about pineapples, the consensus seemed to be that pineapples are great assets to the Costa Rican culture, eaten as a raw fruit and in jellies. Every time that I have had pineapple with my family it has been for breakfast, in a jelly, or in a pineapple jelly filled empanada. My family discussed that pineapple is great for breakfast and a snack, but after asking why the fruit might be important to Costa Rica, they didn’t have much to say. They briefly told me about the white pineapple from the past, and they discussed the export of pineapples to Europe and the United States. To me, it seems that my family has a different outlook on pineapples than other Ticans might have. They don’t seem to hold the strong new symbolic value that pineapples might have to other Ticans.

However, after observing pineapples at the Mas por Menos and at venders on the main road in Sabanilla, pineapples are very popular and prevalent. Its fascinating to see more products with pineapple in them here than in the U.S. Its very common to have pineapple juice for a meal or to have pineapple jelly with toast in Costa Rica, but in the States these things are rare. In the U.S. Pineapple is mostly associated with the raw fruit or something to put in a smoothie. In Costa Rica, it seems that the country has found more ways to use pineapple since like most fruits has a very short “shelf life.” With that being said, I have also found it interesting that my family eats pineapples very over ripe. With that increased ripeness, they have so much flavor, but almost too acidic for me. This statement can probably be made in my final blog, but studying foods like pineapples has really shown me just how important they are to Costa Rica. I never realized that pineapples could represent more than just a type of fruit but the type of economy that a country has. This concept is so foreign to me, because this is not necessarily so in the United States. While we have products made in the States, our economy is rapped around many more commodities than Costa Rica deals with. I think I am slowly starting to see just how reliant Costa Rica is on its exports, including its export of pineapples.

Here is a picture of one of the two trucks within two blocks of Mas por Menos that sold all kinds of fruits including pineapples. They all still have the stems on them, but the sellers offer to remove them for you!

Por Fin... La Piña!!!! :) :) :)

            I was ecstatic when I realized that we got to write an entire blog on pineapples… after all, they’re my favorite! My Tica mom always makes fun of me for how I rave about them, so these questions came as no shock to she and Tamara. They said that pineapple is eaten either for breakfast or dessert. It’s most often eaten in slices, raw or uncooked. Though, Tamara said sometimes her mom makes a jam with it for coffee time, to eat on bread. It’s also used in various juices at my house, though usually mixed with other things because it’s naturally so sweet and such a strong flavor. Pineapple is found in a lot of pastries, jams, and drinks. They were sort of confused when I asked what different types of pineapple have been grown and/or sold in Costa Rica. They said the white pineapple is not common here and the “normal” kind is all they know. I’m always interested to know what sort of diversity used to exist in the past when it comes to food commodities. Although I don’t think that the pineapple is likely to have changed too much… right? Or maybe it has, but not recently because it’s such a staple and pictures, advertisements and historical descriptions seem to refer to the same pineapple with the golden interior and intimidating beautiful exterior.

            My family didn’t have too much to say about the significance of pineapple. They only realize that it’s an export that is grown in Costa Rica and exported to consumer countries. This means, like the banana and coffee, wealth for Costa Rica. It was interesting that coffee was so revolutionary and highly regarded and is so culturally significant in many aspects to this day. Even the banana seemed to have more significance to my Tica mom when we were discussing it. It’s interesting that the pineapple is not such a sense of pride, more just an acknowledgement and something that has meaning, without the words expressing it. It seems that it is more of an internal value than an external value (at least while talking to my Tico family). In our readings, the pineapple is regarded as a classy, hospitable, expensive, and highly valued fruit for all it encounters. It’s even given royal connotations, that’s crazy for a fruit. This symbolism that we learned about in our reading did not seem to carry over in the perception of the pineapple for my Tico family. They said the symbol was that it is a fruit that is exported to other countries, nothing social or really significantly affecting their daily lives.

            In the US it is a rare treat to eat fresh pineapple. When we eat fresh food in our house, it’s not usually fruits. It’s usually locally grown produce from our local farmer’s market in St. Mary’s County. So, this means that fruits in general are not as much of a priority in my house as vegetables. I can only think of having canned or plastically pre-stored pineapple in mixed fruits for school lunches. Occasionally at summer social gatherings for swim team or a picnic, we might have fresh pineapple, but it’s always been rare for my family. Not that my Tico family eats it daily, it’s still a treat, but we definitely have fresh fruit more readily available.

            I do love pineapples though and wish I could eat them all the time! Even if there is a limit to how much acidity one’s mouth can handle… It’s worth it! :)

There's Pineapple in this commonly consumed Mixed Fruit Juice!! :) YUM! 

This is a local market with fresh fruit... aka LOTS of PINEAPPLE!!!! :) YAY!

And here's a semi-typical breakfast! :) Which, as you should take note, has  a fruit plate... FILLED with DELICIOUS pineapple! :) Successful morning! :)