Harness some pineapple power as things heat up

With its iconic shape and spiky exterior, the pineapple is packed full of fibre, vitamins and minerals, making it one of the healthiest tropical fruits on the planet.

Raw pineapple can be a great source of manganese and vitamin C, as well as bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down protein, making the fruit useful as a digestive aid and an effective anti-inflammatory.

Here are eight fascinating facts about the juicy fruit.

1. The pineapple plant is indigenous to South America. It originally comes from a region between southern Brazil and Paraguay.
2. The pineapple spread throughout South America, the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico, where it was cultivated by the Mayas and the Aztecs. Christopher Columbus came across the pineapple in 1493 and took it back to Europe.
3. The word “pineapple” was recorded in 1398 to describe pine cones. It was not until 1694 that pine cones were first called pine cones. On arrival to the Americas, European explorers called the tropical fruit pineapples around 1664 because they resembled the pine cone.
4. An individual pineapple can take over two years to grow, although they are usually picked slightly earlier than this.
5. The most famous pineapple entrepreneur was James Dole who moved to Hawaii and started a pineapple plantation in 1900, just after John Kidwell first introduced a pineapple industry to Hawaii. 'Dole' is still a major company in the pineapple industry today.
6. The top of a pineapple, after cleaning and drying, can be planted in soil and a new plant will grow.
7. The individual fruit segments of a pineapple interlock in two helices, eight in one direction, 13 in the other.
8. The Southeast Asian countries of the Philippines and Thailand were the top two producers of pineapple in the world followed by Costa Rica, over the last decade.

Pineapple flesh and juice is used in many cuisines throughout the world.

It is a commonly used fruit for fruit salads and eaten with dairy desserts such as ice cream and yoghurt, but can also be tasty in Asian stir fry dishes including sweet and sour pork, or as a topping on pizzas.

Pineapple carpaccio

A deliciously-fresh, quick and easy fruit dessert.

1. Thinly slice a whole pineapple and arrange on a plate as desired.
2. Take a few mint leaves and put in a pestle and mortar, reserving a small handful of leaves for the garnish.
3. Pound the leaves into a paste, then mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to make a mint oil.
4. Cut a handful of blueberries or other berries and sprinkle over the top.
5. Ripple some mint oil over the sliced pineapple pieces.
6. Finely grate over some lime zest and squeeze over some juice.
7. Finely slice and sprinkle over the reserved mint leaves.