If you love themed food and beverages, you're in luck, because pink pineapples exist and are coming to a grocery store near you. That's right: You will soon be able to buy real pineapples that are the color pink. How does this work? Are these pineapples actually made of candy or spun sugar? No and no, my friends. This pineapple is the real deal — a fruit that is delectable at any time of the day. It just so happens to be pink. How? As Rheanna O'Neil Bellomo at Delish explains, Del Monte has figured out how to genetically modify pineapples to be the color pink. The company even has a patent; apparently they're the only company producing pink pineapples. These delightfully colored fruits are being grown in Costa Rica.
According to NBC News, Operation Pink Pineapple (not its official name, but I mean, don't you wish it were?) has actually been underway since 2005, but the FDA has only recently approved it for sale. Their known as Rose pineapples (like the wine), and word on the street is that they're even sweeter than regular pineapples. Delish reports that they get their color and flavor from the addition of lycopene.
They sound perfect for a party, don't they? I can see it now: Baby showers, bachelorette or bachelorette parties, sweet sixteens, wedding showers or engagement parties... Pink, pink, and more pink pineapple, as far as the eye can see. Interestingly, no photos of the actual fruit appear to be available online — if you've seen any around, they're likely, as Delish points out, the work of Photoshop used to transform a traditional pineapple into one with bright pink flesh.
Nor is pink pineapple the only bizarre fruits that actually exists. Both created by humans and straight from nature, Check out some below, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled in the supermarket, too! You never know what will pop up as we change seasons.
Cotton Candy Grapes
These surprisingly sweet grapes are grown in California, and people go nuts for them. Basically, these little fruit nuggets are the sweet fruit you've always longed for if you find grapes a little too tart on the norm. And apparently they really do taste just like cotton candy.
Pineberries
They look like white strawberries, and they taste like other things. Pineapple, according to some. Bubble gum, according to others. Yes, this is real life.
Durian
Durian is an odd looking fruit that has a very hit-or-miss taste. In its ideal form, durian should have a sweet, custard-like filling, but if it's too ripe, it'll taste sour or like onions. Once you crack open a durian, you eat it by scooping out the inner flesh. And try to ignore the smell!
Oranges That Taste Like Grapefruit
Researchers at Oxford University figured out how to use enzymes to modify compounds that naturally occur in oranges in such a way that the fruit ends up tasting like a grapefruit instead. Isn't science cool?
Dragon fruit
Dragon fruit are gorgeous, brightly colored fruit commonly found in Mexico. They're formally known as "pitaya," and the fruit is sour and refreshing.
Miracle Fruit
Miracle fruit literally changes the way things taste if you eat it before consuming something else — as the New York Times put it in 2008, "The berry rewires the way the palate perceives sour flavors for an hour or so, rendering lemons as sweet as candy."
Jackfruit
Jackfruit can be eaten as a sweet treat, but has lately, it's made a big splash for another reason: Many vegetarians and vegans are using jackfruit as a meat substitute for savory dishes like mock pulled-pork and vegan sloppy joes. The "meat" of the jackfruit shreds nicely and soaks in flavor like nobody's business.
Kumquat
Last but not least, the beloved kumquat! These little gems are similar to oranges, but you can eat the peel! They're basically bite-sized pockets of tender, sweet joy in fruit form.
Happy snacking, everybody!
