Pineapples were once so valuable, people rented them for parties.
If you’re planning to throw a party, you might need to rent extra tables or chairs, perhaps even a tent or a tux. But in the 1700s, party hosts and guests looking to make a statement were in the rental market for an entirely different accessory: pineapples. And the message they were trying to send? That they were extravagantly wealthy. Prior to the 20th century, when pineapple plantations made the fruit widely available, pineapples were incredibly expensive imports to Europe (and most other places). In the 18th century, a single fruit bought in Britain could cost upwards of $8,000 in today’s money.
Christopher Columbus is credited with introducing pineapples to Europe in the 1490s after voyaging to the Americas. Just one survived his return journey, and the bromeliad quickly had an impact. Dubbed the “king of fruits,” the pineapple became a symbol of opulence and royalty because of its scarcity. Pineapples were featured in paintings of kings, printed on linens and wallpaper, and even carved into furniture. Obtaining a rare pineapple meant the buyer had money and status — and for that reason, the fruit was also often featured decor at parties and events. Eventually, European botanists learned to grow pineapples in greenhouses and reduce their cost. But until the fruits were widely available, many partygoers in Britain would seek out a pineapple for just one night, renting the fruit for a fraction of its full price and sometimes even carrying it around at the party as the ultimate (uneaten) accessory.
What kind of gift do you send a future queen in honor of her nuptials? In Queen Elizabeth II’s case: pineapples. In 1947, the government of Queensland, Australia, marked the celebration with a wedding gift of 500 cases of canned pineapple. While today the gift might be considered unusual, it was warmly received in Britain just two years after World War II ended; at the time, Britain was still experiencing wartime rationing, which would persist for seven years after the war’s end. With many goods still difficult to come by, Queensland sent a surplus of its pineapple harvest to Britain, where many citizens still rarely saw fresh fruit. The cans, which were decorated with commemorative labels, were given out to British families, along with donations from other countries, including 804 metric tons of food from Toronto, Canada, and more than 50,000 packages from the United States.
