Pineapples in Food Diplomacy
Anything with a crown was associated with heavenly approval in an era when the divine right of kings was in vogue. The pineapple, whose spiny top resembled a crown, came to symbolize monarchy, and was known as “The King of Fruit”. Between that, the vast distances they traveled to reach Europe, their exoticism, and the fact that most people had never seen one, the possession of a pineapple became a status symbol. So much so, that they were used in international politics and diplomacy.
A French ambassador arrived in England in 1668 to mediate a Caribbean islands dispute. King Charles II ordered a pineapple from the English colony of Barbados perched atop a fruit pyramid at a dinner feast in honor of the French envoy. It was seen as a public relations triumph. It visually illustrated that England’s naval supremacy meant that the English could get pineapples from the Caribbean at will, while the French could not. From then on, the pineapple, which Charles II christened “King-Pine”, became his favorite status symbol. He even commissioned a painting of the royal gardener presenting him with one.
