The Azores are one of the most interesting places on Earth that you can visit. Here, on an archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a beautiful green landscape with unique geography and culture awaits visitors.
One of the most unexpected things that visitors to Sao Miguel Island in the Azores will find is…that’s right, pineapple plantations!
Despite a mild, rainy, and temperate climate that doesn’t invoke the places where pineapples are normally grown, the industry is quite popular and well-known on this small Portuguese island. Pineapples here, known as ananas, are grown in greenhouses that are carefully climate-controlled to ensure a good crop.
The temperature in these greenhouses must be kept at a delicate balance between 65 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit during different stages of the growing cycle in order to produce a fruit that is neither too sour nor too sweet. This is done by the application of light-blocking materials that are either left up or taken down in order to raise or lower the temperature.
These pineapples are well-known for being sweet, small, and extra succulent. They are a commodity throughout the world, where they can be difficult to find due to the relatively small yield.
Have you ever tried an Azorean pineapple before?
