Chapter ANANAS of A by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

driven (for the avoiding of confusion) to call a pine-cone. This is the only meaning of the term ‘pine- apple’ in Minsheu’s Guide into Tongues (2nd edition 1627). And the ananas got this name from its strong resemblance to a pine-cone. This is most striking as regards the large cones of the Stone-Pine of S. Europe. In the following three first quotations ‘pine-apple’ is used in the old sense:

1563.—“To all such as die so, the people erecteth a chappell, and to each of them a pillar and pole made of Pine-apple for a perpetuall monument.”—Reports of Japan, in Hakl. ii. 567.

„ “The greater part of the quadrangle set with savage trees, as Okes, Chesnuts, Cypresses, Pine-apples, Cedars.”—Reports of China, tr. by R. Willes, in Hakl. ii. 559.

1577.—“In these islandes they found no trees knowen vnto them, but Pine-apple trees, and Date trees, and those of marueylous heyght, and exceedyng hardé.”—Peter Martyr, in Eden’s H. of Trauayle, fol. 11.

Oviedo, in H. of the (Western) Indies, fills 2½ folio pages with an enthusiastic description of the pine-apple as first found in Hispaniola, and of the reason why it got this name (pina in Spanish, pigna in Ramusio’s Italian, from which we quote). We extract a few fragments.

1535.—“There are in this iland of Spagnuolo certain thistles, each of which bears a Pigna, and this is one of the most beautiful fruits that I have seen.… It has all these qualities in combination, viz. beauty of aspect, fragrance of colour, and exquisite flavour. The Christians gave it the name it bears (Pigna) because it is, in a manner, like that. But the pine-apples of the Indies of which we are speaking are much more beautiful than the pigne [i.e. pine-cones] of Europe, and have nothing of that hardness which is seen in those of Castile, which are in fact nothing but wood,” &c.—Ramusio, iii. f. 135 v.

1564.—“Their pines be of the bigness of two fists, the outside whereof is of the making of a pine-apple [i.e. pine-cone], but it is softe like the rinde of a cucomber, and the inside eateth like an apple, but it is more delicious than any sweet apple sugared.”—Master John Hawkins, in Hakl. iii. 602.

1575.—“Aussi la plus part des Sauuages s’en nourrissent vne bonne partie de l’année, comme aussi ils font d’vne autre espece de fruit, nomé Nana, qui est gros come vne moyenne citrouille, et fait autour comme vne pomme de pin.…”—A. Thecet, Cosmographie Vniverselle, liv. xxii. ff. 935 v., 936 (with a pretty good cut).

1590.—“The Pines, or Pine-apples, are of the same fashion and forme outwardly to those of Castille, but within they wholly differ… One presented one of these Pine-apples to the Emperour Charles the fift, which must have cost much paine and care to bring it so farre, with the plant from the Indies, yet would he not trie the taste.”—Jos. de Acosta, E. T. of 1604 (Hak. Soc.), 236-7.

1595.—“… with diuers sortes of excellent fruits and rootes, and great abundance of Pinas, the princesse of fruits that grow vnder the Sun.”—Ralegh, Disc. of Guiana (Hak. Soc.), 73.

c. 1610.—“Ananats, et plusieurs autres fruicts.”—P. de Laval, i. 236 [Hak. Soc. i. 328].

1616.—“The ananas or Pine, which seems to the taste to be a pleasing compound, made of strawberries, claret-wine, rose-water, and sugar, well tempered together.”—Terry, in Purchas, ii. 1469.

1623.—“The ananas is esteemed, and with reason, for it is of excellent flavour, though very peculiar, and rather acid than otherwise, but having an indescribable dash of sweetness that renders it agreeable. And as even these books (Clusius, &c.) don’t mention it, if I remember rightly, I will say in brief that when you regard the entire fruit externally, it looks just like one of our pine-cones (pigna), with just such scales, and of that very colour.”—P. della Valle, ii. 582 [Hak. Soc., i. 135].

1631.—Bontius thus writes of the fruit:-

“Qui legitis Cynaras, atque Indica dulcia fraga.
Ne nimis haec comedas, fugito hinc, latet anguis in herbâ.”

Lib. vi. cap. 50, page 145.

1661.—“I first saw the famous Queen Pine brought from Barbados and presented to his Majestie; but the first that were ever seen in England were those sent to Cromwell House foure years since.”—Evelyn’s Diary, July 19.

[c. 1665.—“Among other fruits, they preserve large citrons, such as we have in Europe, a certain delicate root about the length of sarsaparilla, that common fruit of the Indies called amba, another called ananas.…”—Bernier (ed. Constable), 438.]

1667.—“Ie peux à très-juste titre appeller l’Ananas le Roy des fruits, parcequ’il est le plus beau, et le meilleur de tous ceux qui sont sur la terre. C’est sans doute pour cette raison le Roy des Roys luy a mis une couronne sur la teste, qui est comme une marque essentielle de sa Royaute, puis qu’à la cheute du pere, il produit un ieune Roy qui luy succede en toutes