Episode 51 Lemons & Pineapples - The Caribbean Invasion

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Listen to "051 Lemons & Pineapples - The Caribbean Invasion" on Spreaker.

 Link to the Episode:


After immersing myself in 18th century context, seeing piles of lemons and pineapples in grocery stores now registers as mind boggling wealth.

But it also feeds the story line that American food has gotten distracted by shiny objects - pineapples for all - at all costs.  And we have lost the plot of deep wealth - soil, variety, and the complex biospheres we need to survive.

We have successfully figured out how to mine for pineapple gold - but at what cost.

Anyway - just how much treasure was being spent in the 18th century on these two objects of culinary gold, and how did it shape the world?

Botanical illustration of a lemon
the blossom is common across all the citrus
Botanical illustration of a fingered citron





















Citron - half of the family tree of lemons

Cross section of citron fruit - almost no pulp
nearly all pith.  The peel and pith are what are used


Early distribution of wild citrus
The distribution of wild and early citrus around east and south Asia
C. indica = Indian wild orange (flattened sphere shaped like a mandarin)
C. micrantha = a wild lime - related to key limes & Persian limes
C. reticulata = mandarin oranges (original Citrus species)
C. maxima = pomelo (original Citrus species)
C. hystrix = makrut lime (original Citrus species)
C. medica = citron (original Citrus species)
C. daoxiamensis = variety of mandarin
C. mangshanensis = variety of mandarin


Pineapple Time!

Botanical illustration of a pineapple bloom
made up of a cluster of flowers.
And a more typical pineapple -
with unfertilized (non-seed producing)
cluster fruits

Botanical illustration of a pineapple - 
there were a variety of shapes!
(Also - these flowers have been fertilized - 
which is why the nubbins. look different than
our modern commercial pineapples) 



Here it is!  The painting of the gardener presenting King Charles II with a pineapple.
Worth noting - there are the spaniels we will come to know as the 
King Charles Spaniels

The Dunmore Pineapple
just west of Edinburgh (in case you are looking for something to do - and Yes! You can stay there.)
Slight Correction:  The pineapple dome seems to have been a reaction to being
sent home as the last Colonial Governor of Virginia in 1777.


A range of Pineapple Decor:

Gate finals

Carpets

Wallpaper


Teapots
furniture


And finally - a selection of Filipino pineapple fiber fabric clothing

Up close detail of pineapple embroidery on pineapple fiber cloth


A 19th century Swiss dress 

18th century scatter embroidered Filipino men's shirt

 There is a growing modern textile industry of pineapple silk as well.

Oh yeah!  And 18th century microscopes:

18th century microscopes from the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris


I bet you can pick out the microscope that was made for the rich dilettante, 
versus the practical microscopes.


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