Just Some Things About Food You Can Impress Your Friends With, And Other Things You’d Like To Forget

Pineapples Used To Be So Precious They Were Used As Dinner Centerpieces

Pineapples were popularized and brought back to Europe by explorers in the 16th century. They were originally brought back by the Dutch but because of the difficult growing conditions in Europe, they quickly became very revered. French King Louis the 15th was even presented with a pineapple as a gift in 1733.

Due to the high expense to directly import them, pineapples began to be used as a status symbol rather than a foodstuff. They were used as centerpieces for lavish dinners over and over until they began to rot. It was not until the early 1900s that large-scale cultivation began after the pineapple was introduced to Hawaii.