Pineapple is a member of the bromeliad family, which includes some 1.400 species of plants, most of them herbaceous with perennial leaves and eye-catching flowers. Some of them produce proteolytic enzymes, and are located mostly in tropical America.

Tropical Pineapple comes from South America, specifically from Brazil. Portuguese and Spanish settlers found it there. It is the fruit from the plant known as Ananas; Portuguese people still use this originary name, which means "excellent fruit" to the natives.

Pineapples are non-climateric fruits, and should be harvested when ready-to-eat, because they won't ripen after recollection. A minimum soluble solids content of 12% and a maximum acidity of 1% will assure minimum flavor acceptability by most consumers.

They are oval and thick infructescences. The pulp is very aromatic and sweet flavored. Its yellow or white color is surrounded by bracts that make the fruit's skin. On the upper side the bracts turn into an appealing green leaf crown.

THE ORIGINS OF PIÑA COLADA
The origins of this famous cocktail can be traced back to the Caribbean region of Puerto Rico.
History tells us that barman Mr. Juan Ramón Marrero invented Piña Colada in a famous hotel in Puerto Rico, at the time in which mixed tropical cocktails had come into fashion. Thanks to the famous Mai Tai, of Polynesian roots, people from the Caribbean began their own experiments. In addition to its exquisite and fresh flavor, PiÒa Colada sets an important point in the history of mixed drinks and beach beverages.
Furthermore, this cocktail was the first famous mix prepared with an electrical appliance -the blender, which provides it with its characteristic froth, crushed ice and its unparalleled tropical flavor, offering a seaside-relief sensation.