The pineapple is the fruit of a palm. This sweet and succulent fruit has a warty, dented, golden-tan, patterned skin and a crown of sharp, upright green leaves. Once the crown, the skin and the eyes which penetrate it are removed, the ivory to golden flesh is revealed. However delicious they are, do not eat too many as they contain an acid which can damage your mouth if eaten in excess. I speak from bitter experience. A friend of mine and I could barely speak after a few days of eating pineapples almost exclusively for a few days in India. It is also a variety of tomato. A ripe pineapple will have slightly brown and brittle points on each of the raised hexagons on the outside; if tugged hard a leaf from the crown will come away and, if the fruit is inverted and the base is pressed with the thumbs, it will give under the pressure.
