Clients often ask us why our logo is a golden pineapple. Apart from a mild obsession with any pineapple-shaped decorative item from shoes, through ice buckets to architecture (not just Sponge Bob’s house.) Check out our pinterest boards for some of our most coveted bromeliads. The pineapple has a rich and highly relevant cultural & social history.
In November 1493, Columbus lowered anchor in a cove off the lush, volcanic island of Guadeloupe. There his sailors ate, enjoyed and recorded a curious new fruit, which had an abrasive, segmented exterior like a pinecone and a firm interior pulp like an apple. Thus our love affair with the “PINEAPPLE” began.
In a gastronomic climate effectively barren of all things sweet, reports followed by samples of the New World’s pineapple, whose ripe yellow pulp literally exploded natural sweetness when chewed, made the fruit an item of celebrity and curiosity for royal gourmet and horticulturist alike.
It would be nearly two centuries before any European gardeners would be able to perfect a method for growing a pineapple. Thus, into the 1600s, the pineapple remained so uncommon and coveted a commodity that King Charles II of England posed for an official portrait in an act then symbolic of royal privilege, receiving a pineapple as a gift.
In America the pineapple took on other symbolic meanings in. The colonies were then a land of small, primitive towns where hosting people in one’s home served as the hub of most community activity. Visiting was the primary means of entertainment, cultural interplay and catching up on news. The concept of hospitality was a central element of the society’s daily life.
Creative food display was the main entertainment during a formal home visit. This was a means by which a woman declared both her personality and her family’s status. Hostesses sought to outdo each other in the creation of memorable, fantasy dining room scenes Tabletops often resembled small mountain ranges of tiered, pyramided and pedestaled food, decorated with flowers and garlands of pine and other ostentatious displays. Dinners were extravaganzas of visual delights, unusual tastes, new discoveries and warm conversation.
Its rarity, expense, reputation and striking visual attractiveness made the pineapple the ultimate exotic fruit. As such, the pineapple that came to literally crown the most important of such feasts often held aloft on special pedestals as the pinnacle of the table’s central food display.
The actual whole fruit was extremely costly and difficult to obtain. Wooden ship travel in the tropics was hot, humid and slow, often rotting the pineapples before they arrived.
Only the speediest ships and most favourable weather conditions could deliver near perfect pineapples to the confectionery shops of the East coast cities.
It is even said that so sought after were the prickly fruits that colonial confectioners sometimes rented them to households by the day. Later, the same fruit was sold to other, more affluent clients who actually ate it. As you might imagine, hostesses would have gone to great lengths to conceal the fact that the pineapple that was the head of their table display and a central topic of their guests’ conversation was only rented.
The pineapple which was the visual keystone of the feast naturally came to symbolize the high spirits of the social events themselves; the image of the pineapple coming to express the sense of welcome, good cheer, human warmth and family affection inherent to such gracious home gatherings, and in the case of Rare Food- some damn good catering!
It is hardly surprising that this communal symbol of friendship and hospitality also became a favorite motif of architects, artisans and craftsmen throughout the colonies. They announced the hospitality of a mansion with carved wood or molded mortar pineapples on its main gateposts.
According to another legend, it is said that ships captains would spear a pineapple on a fence post outside their homes to let friends know of a safe return from sea. The pineapple was an invitation for them to visit, share food and drink, and listen to tales of the voyage.
The Pineapple is a reminder of an era when all life literally revolved around the dining room table; the exotic fruit symbolizing our founding society’s abiding commitment to hospitality as well as its fondest memories of families, friends and good times.
These are just some of the reasons why Rare Food loves pineapples and why we chose to use it as our logo. Hospitality is what we live and breathe, as well as designing striking & original events. It’s the perfect fit!
Pineapple can be used to tenderize meat and another motive, as if we needed more, is it tastes so damn good. In fact, one of our signature puds is ‘Dippy egg & soldiers’ a wondrous confection of a laser-cut egg shell, filled with crème diplomate & a passion fruit “yolk”, served in an egg cup featuring caramelized pineapple & lime leaf soldiers.
The fresh juice of a pineapple is utterly delectable and with summer vacations around the corner our thoughts turn to liquid refreshment. We never feel the holiday has truly started until we are sipping our first Piña Coladas (let no-one tell you they are naf!).
Please try our favourite recipe:
100ml of the best golden rum you can find
100ml of freshly-juiced pineapple –cut & reserved the top & hollow out the base to make a pineapple “chalice”
75 ml of Coco Lopez coconut cream (it ROCKS, so seek it out)
Ice
Shake & serve over ice or blend with ice for a frozen version.
Pour it back into your fridge-cold pineapple goblet to serve & garnish with maraschino-soaked cherries, umbrellas and straws. In this case more is most definitely more.
hich a woman declared both her personality and her family’s status. Hostesses sought to outdo each other in the creation of memorable, fantasy dining room scenes Tabletops often resembled small mountain ranges of tiered, pyramided and pedestaled food, decorated with flowers and garlands of pine and other ostentatious displays. Dinners were extravaganzas of visual delights, unusual tastes, new discoveries and warm conversation.
Its rarity, expense, reputation and striking visual attractiveness made the pineapple the ultimate exotic fruit. As such, the pineapple that came to literally crown the most important of such feasts often held aloft on special pedestals as the pinnacle of the table’s central food display.
The actual whole fruit was extremely costly and difficult to obtain. Wooden ship travel in the tropics was hot, humid and slow, often rotting the pineapples before they arrived.
Only the speediest ships and most favourable weather conditions could deliver near perfect pineapples to the confectionery shops of the East coast cities.
It is even said that so sought after were the prickly fruits that colonial confectioners sometimes rented them to households by the day. Later, the same fruit was sold to other, more affluent clients who actually ate it. As you might imagine, hostesses would have gone to great lengths to conceal the fact that the pineapple that was the head of their table display and a central topic of their guests’ conversation was only rented.
The pineapple which was the visual keystone of the feast naturally came to symbolize the high spirits of the social events themselves; the image of the pineapple coming to express the sense of welcome, good cheer, human warmth and family affection inherent to such gracious home gatherings, and in the case of Rare Food- some damn good catering!
It is hardly surprising that this communal symbol of friendship and hospitality also became a favorite motif of architects, artisans and craftsmen throughout the colonies. They announced the hospitality of a mansion with carved wood or molded mortar pineapples on its main gateposts.
According to another legend, it is said that ships captains would spear a pineapple on a fence post outside their homes to let friends know of a safe return from sea. The pineapple was an invitation for them to visit, share food and drink, and listen to tales of the voyage.
The Pineapple is a reminder of an era when all life literally revolved around the dining room table; the exotic fruit symbolizing our founding society’s abiding commitment to hospitality as well as its fondest memories of families, friends and good times.
These are just some of the reasons why Rare Food loves pineapples and why we chose to use it as our logo. Hospitality is what we live and breathe, as well as designing striking & original events. It’s the perfect fit!
Pineapple can be used to tenderize meat and another motive, as if we needed more, is it tastes so damn good. In fact, one of our signature puds is ‘Dippy egg & soldiers’ a wondrous confection of a laser-cut egg shell, filled with crème diplomate & a passion fruit “yolk”, served in an egg cup featuring caramelized pineapple & lime leaf soldiers.
The fresh juice of a pineapple is utterly delectable and with summer vacations around the corner our thoughts turn to liquid refreshment. We never feel the holiday has truly started until we are sipping our first Piña Coladas (let no-one tell you they are naf!).
Please try our favourite recipe:
100ml of the best golden rum you can find
100ml of freshly-juiced pineapple –cut & reserved the top & hollow out the base to make a pineapple “chalice”
75 ml of Coco Lopez coconut cream (it ROCKS, so seek it out)
Ice
Shake & serve over ice or blend with ice for a frozen version.
Pour it back into your fridge-cold pineapple goblet to serve & garnish with maraschino-soaked cherries, umbrellas and straws. In this case more is most definitely more.
