Annasi, ananas in Hindi, is pineapple, a spiny-leaved bromeliad from Brazil and Paraguay that Portuguese traders brought to India in the 1500s. North-east India grows much of the Indian crop; the Queen pineapple is Tripura’s state fruit, and Vazhakulam in Kerala has a geographical indication. Each pineapple forms from a spiral of many flowers fused together. Its enzyme, bromelain, makes the mouth tingle.
- Botanical name
- Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.
- Family
- Bromeliaceae
- Tamil
- Annasi
- Hindi
- Ananas
- Sanskrit
- Ananāsa
- Parts used
- Fruit
- Habit
- Tropical bromeliad crop grown for its juicy compound fruit
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Annasi
It is a perennial herb with a rosette of long, stiff, sword-shaped leaves, often with spiny edges.
A stalk rises from the centre with a cone of small purple flowers set in a spiral.
The flowers fuse into a single juicy fruit topped by a leafy crown.
The fruit skin is made of hexagonal segments, one for each flower.
New plants are grown from the crown or from side shoots.
Traditional use of Annasi
Kitchen
Pineapple is eaten fresh with salt and chilli, cooked into pachadi and pulissery in Kerala, and added to kesari.
Indian food practice
Kitchen
In the Philippines the leaf fibre is woven into fine piña cloth.
Filipino craft practice
Modern notes on Annasi
Bromelain breaks down proteins, which is why pineapple tenderises meat and stops gelatin from setting.
Bromelain is also the reason fresh pineapple can make the mouth sore.
The fruit is rich in vitamin C and manganese.
Most pineapples are induced to flower together with plant hormones so a field can be harvested at once.
Annasi safety
Eat only ripe pineapple; unripe fruit can irritate the mouth and stomach. Cooking destroys bromelain.
Ecology and sourcing
Wild pineapples are pollinated by hummingbirds in South America.
Cultivated pineapples are seedless unless cross-pollinated.
Its leaves channel rain to the centre of the plant.
Related plants
Questions about Annasi
Why does pineapple sting the mouth?
Its enzyme, bromelain, breaks down proteins.
Can I grow one from the crown?
Yes. Root the crown in soil.
Where is pineapple grown in India?
Mainly the north-east and Kerala.
Why does pineapple stop jelly setting?
Bromelain breaks down gelatin.
Is pineapple one fruit?
It is many fruits fused together.
Sources
- Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q1493 (Ananas comosus)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.