Receta Ham and Pineapple with Rice
by Christine Lamb

Pineapple is not native to Hawaii. It was first canned and

became a major crop there, so therefore we associate pineapple with Hawaii and

the islands.

Ananas comosus is the botanical name for pineapple. Native

to South America, it was named for its resemblance to a pine cone.

Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering the

pineapple on the island of Guadeloupe in 1493, although the fruit had long been

grown in South America.

Another explorer, Magellan, is credited with finding

pineapples in Brazil in 1519, and by 1555, the fruit was being exported to

England. It soon spread to India, Asia, and the West Indies.

In 1751, George Washington tasted pineapple. In Barbados, he

declared it his favorite tropical fruit. Although the pineapple thrived in

Florida, it was still a rarity for most Americans.

Captain James Cook later introduced the pineapple to Hawaii

circa 1770. Commercial cultivation did not begin until the 1880s when

steamships made transporting the perishable fruit viable.

In 1903, James Drummond Dole began canning pineapple, making

it easily accessible worldwide. Production stepped up dramatically when a new

machine automated the skinning and coring of the fruit. The Dole Hawaiian

Pineapple Company was a booming business by 1921, making pineapple Hawaii's

largest crop and industry. Today, Hawaii produces only ten percent of the

world's pineapple crops.

This Ham and Pineapple with rice will surely welcome your

gang to the dinner table.

Ham and Pineapple with Rice

Ingredients:

Directions:

In a skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, and

season with salt and pepper. Cook about 3 minutes. Add ham and pineapple

chunks, heat through about 5 minutes.

Pour pineapple juice over ham mixture. Heat through and

serve over rice. Enjoy!