Sparkling Pineapple Soup [Recipe of the Week]

Sparkling Pineapple Soup

Get the full recipe on the Blendtec Recipes page.

 Pineapples are a strange fruit; spiky on the outside but oh-so-sweet & juicy on the inside.

Here are 10 fun facts about pineapples:

1. Pineapples were first discovered in the Caribbean circa 1493 by Christopher Columbus. They are also indigenous to southern Brazil and Paraguay.
2. Pineapples were spread around the world because they were kept on board ships to ward off scurvy.
3. While pineapples originated in Southern America, Southern Asia (mostly Thailand) is now the world's largest supplier.
4. Pineapple plants look like giant pineapples buried in the ground.
5. It takes 2-3 years for a pineapple to reach maturation (and, therefore, one pineapple plant produces only one fruit every 2-3 years).
6. The pineapple plant's flower produces 100-200 fruitlets that join together around the core to create the pineapple fruit.
7. The fruit was originally called pineapple because of its resemblance to a pinecone (the hundreds of fruitlets growing together from one flower really do look like a pinecone!).
8. The fruit doesn't continue to ripen after being harvested.
9. The color of the pineapple differs based on where it's grown; a green pineapple and a golden brown pineapple may have the same sweet taste as each other.
10. Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapples that helps to suppress coughs and loosen mucus, aid digestion, ease inflammation and may even interfere with the growth of tumor cells.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/04/facts-about-pineapples_n_4726366.html
http://www.kingoffruit.com.au/fun-pineapple-facts.html
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/8-healthy-facts-about-pineapple