Fruit

Fruit

Fruit.  Nutritious and delicious you might say, but, as I soon discovered those innocent sweet fruits have been involved in some interesting and sometimes sinister pasts. Following my introduction into Creative Concepts, I was given the brief to investigate various fruit as well as adopting a fruit and keeping a diary or journal for my time said fruit. My research could range from botanical terms for a fruit to the habitat and history surrounding them.

Choosing an adopted fruit was difficult to say the least, as it is not often that you find yourself asking, what fruit would make a good friend?

However, after much deliberation I eventually settled for the exotic pineapple, affectionately naming him Jonty. I spent one blissful week with Jonty, walking to college together, taking drives together, spending time chilling out with one another. It was not until one fateful Sunday that Jonty saw his end at the hands of my mother, a kitchen knife and a fruit salad. Jonty – forever missed. Forever delicious.

To recover from such a tragedy, I decided to research Jonty’s ancestry in an attempt to gain closure. I began my research by attempting to find the earliest mention of the pineapple, which was recorded in 1493 by none other than Christopher Columbus. During the famous explorers’ second voyage to the Caribbean, he discovered the fruit on the volcanic island of Guadeloupe. It was here that the exotic fruit was first christened as the pineapple, as the sailors described the fruit as having the coarse exterior of a pine cone, yet, the sweet centre of a apple. Upon returning to Europe Columbus brought the unusual fruit, where it soon became a sorely sought after commodity.

In a time when sugar was a luxury reserved for the rich and aristocratic levels of society, the pineapple was a highly prized piece to own. Voyages could stretch on for months, with even the fastest ships taking weeks to return from the ‘New world’, meaning that the pineapple would reach Europe in a rather grim rotten state. The few pineapples that did survive the journey were not consumed as we would do today; they were instead used in floral arrangements for flamboyant dinner parties as a status symbol. Owning a pineapple proved you had money and influence, as you were able to acquire such a rare centrepiece. This became such a common occurrence that florists saw a business opportunity by hiring out arrangements with the pineapple displayed, allowing their clients to create the illusion amongst their dinner guests that they were able to afford such a grand item.

The pineapple soon became a symbol of hospitality because of these dinner parties, as many were set in the entrance of homes to welcome guests. Architects, designers, and artists later began to include the pineapple in their own designs, many can still be found today in stately homes across Europe and America.

It was not until the twentieth century that the pineapple was no longer seen as a luxury, as travel had become much more efficient with the invention of the airplane. This allowed the pineapple to become affordable for the everyday consumer, reaching its status as a common fruit to be eaten and enjoyed.

The pineapple is one of the more innocent fruits, as no dark secrets surround its prickly exterior , but, there are many more fruits that hold a bloody past, that I may divulge into at a later date.