Christopher Columbus first discovered pineapple in 1493, when it was presented to him as a welcome gift by the inhabitants of Guadeloupe during his second voyage to the New World for Isabella of Castile. Originally from Paraguay and southern Brazil, this fruit had already been cultivated for a long time. The Caribbean natives called it “nana nana”, meaning the “scent of scents”.
Brought back to Europe in the early 16th century, it embellished many a royal table, crowned like the king of fruit. In 1702, to please Madame de Maintenon and catch up with (or overtake) the British and their 30-year lead, Louis XIV ordered pineapple to be cultivated in the greenhouses of his palaces at Choisy-le-Roi and Versailles.