Pineapples Throughout History
If you have ever attended
a stately home and wondered why there are so many carvings of pineapples on finials, panelling and even newel posts,
wonder no more.
For about 250 years, up
until the Victorian era, pineapples were so expensive that they literally cost
a small fortune. Initially called pine apples, the name later became one word.
But few people actually ate the sweet fruit. At dinner parties it was displayed
usually in a specially designed ceramic dish, surrounded by other sliced fruits for
the diners to eat, while the pineapple remained untouched. The pineapple itself
would be displayed until it became rotten.
Shops sprang up where one
could rent a pineapple for a special event, much like someone renting an
exquisite piece of jewelry or a fancy car today.
If you want people to
believe you are wealthy, you have to look the part.
In the Victorian era, it became easier to both grow and import pineapples so they quickly lost their cachet.
The next fad? Celery. Did you ever look at a humble bunch of celery and imagine simply owning it in Regency England would have made you appear wealthy? It was particularly hard to grow, and just as in the case with the pineapple, it was displayed in specially designed vases for the owners to show it off to their guests, and was often a target for thieves.
We often think of thieves stealing into a stately home in search of valuables, silver, jewels, etc, but did you ever imagine that they may have simply been there to make off with the pineapple and celery? Well, its food for thought anyway.
