Pineapple

About

Ripe pineapple combines juicy fruit flavors with a spicy, boozy sweetness reminiscent of its classic pairings: vanilla, rum, coconut, and caramel. Because pineapples stop ripening once picked, commercially sold fruit is often underripe and lacks full flavor balance. Smelling the base of the fruit, where the oldest and sweetest fruitlets are located, is a reliable way to judge ripeness.

Pairs well with pineapple

• CiOrangePineapple's bright sweetness masks orange's more bitter, complex and slightly sulfurous notes.
• SpCinnamonPineapple with sugar and cinnamon caramelizes into a flavor resembling spun sugar, and the same principle works well in a…
• FrAppleThe word 'pineapple' originally referred to pinecones in English; the diarist John Evelyn is credited with the first recorded use of the…
• RoChocolateChef David Biron serves a chocolate club sandwich with pineapple cut to resemble fries, alongside strawberry and basil standing in for…
• CrCoconutThe piña colada draws on a real flavor affinity: the flesh of a ripe pineapple carries genuine notes of rum and coconut.
• MaShellfishPineapple's sweet-sourness paired with shellfish's sweet-saltiness appears in both authentic Southeast Asian dishes and in sweeter…
• MePorkTacos al pastor, a Mexican street food, layers spiced pork with fresh pineapple on a vertical spit, as it cooks, pineapple juice…
• GrAniseChef Philip Searle is known for a checkerboard dessert combining pineapple, vanilla and star anise ice creams, and Aiden Byrne pairs…
• FfVanillaDole popularized pineapple upside-down cake through a 1920s marketing campaign; the caramelized pineapple against vanilla sponge cake…
• BrBaconBacon (or ham) and pineapple are paired on Hawaiian pizza, a well-known combination of salty meat and sweet-tart fruit.
• GrChiliRipe pineapple is best judged by smelling the base rather than tugging at leaves; medium-sized, winter-or-spring fruit tends to be sweeter.
• GrAvocadoPineapple has drawn extravagant praise throughout history, compared to blessed fruit, fine melon, and a "compound of strawberries,…
• ChHard CheeseCheese and pineapple on sticks is often dismissed as dated party food, but the pairing has a real flavor basis: the pineapple-like…
• CrBananaThe cherimoya (custard apple), with its scaly green skin, has a flavor often described as a cross between pineapple, banana and strawberry.
• BrAnchovyNuoc nam, a Vietnamese dipping sauce made from fermented anchovy fish sauce, lime juice, chili, and sugar, has a more pungent relative,…
• GrCilantroPineapple and cilantro are commonly paired in Mexican cooking, including in a black bean soup made with ham stock, partially blended for…
• ChBlue CheeseA less intuitive pairing, explored by the food blog Khymos as part of its "They Go Really Well Together" recipe series.
• FrStrawberryStrawberry's acidity makes it one of the fruits that pair especially well with pineapple, alongside raspberries and orange juice, some…
• CrMangoDepending on the cultivar, mango can carry notes of peach, pineapple, tangerine, banana, watermelon, pear, black currant, guava, apricot,…
• FrGrapeSeedless grapes and chunks of ripe pineapple chilled together in iced water make a simple, refreshing warm-weather treat.
• BrProsciuttoDespite its association with novelty "Hawaiian" dishes, the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma itself recommends pineapple as a flavor…
• FfRaspberryRaspberry and pineapple combine in classic British "fruit salad" candies and in vintage American sodas.
• BeSagePineapple sage (Salvia elegans) is a fragrant herb used in drinks and fruit salads, with a flavor often compared to pineapple or piña…
• FfWhite ChocolateWhite chocolate pairs well with red berries but also with tropical fruit, similar to how pineapple and passion fruit notes complement…
• CiGrapefruitA tropical-tasting combination found in citrus drinks, notably, the crew of Apollo 11 drank a pineapple-and-grapefruit beverage with their…