pineapple or fruit cocktail

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical herbaceous perennial plant native to South America, cultivated widely in warm climates worldwide. The fruit is a large, ovoid composite of fused berries with tough, fibrous golden-yellow or reddish skin and sweet, juicy pale yellow flesh. The plant produces a single large fruit per stem, crowned with a rosette of sword-like leaves. Pineapples contain the enzyme bromelain, which breaks down protein and imparts a distinctive slightly tart sweetness to the fruit. Varieties include the smooth-leafed Cayenne (most common commercially), Red Spanish, and the smaller, sweeter Sugarloaf cultivars.

Pineapple is used fresh, canned, and juiced across numerous cuisines. Fresh pineapple serves as a table fruit, component in fruit salads, and ingredient in savory-sweet dishes such as Hawaiian pizza and Southeast Asian curries. The fruit is prominent in Caribbean, Thai, and Pacific island cooking, where it is incorporated into stir-fries, grilled preparations, and drinks. Canned pineapple appears in casseroles, desserts, and glazes. The bromelain enzyme makes pineapple effective as a meat tenderizer in marinades. Fresh pineapple should be used shortly after cutting, as the enzyme can degrade gelatin and dairy products if combined.