....And The Answer Is Pineapple

An exotic and light-hearted book which tells of encounters with the pineapple in various parts of the world.

As the trailing spouse of an international civil servant, Claudia Hyles has lived and adventured in such exotic locations as Papua New Guinea, Trinidad & Tobago, Pakistan, Laos, Thailand, Kenya and Vietnam. She has also traveled in Asia and parts of Africa, Central and South America. Her great interests are handloom textiles, art, traditional crafts, and food, and along the way she became fascinated by the King of Fruits.

In this book the author describes the cultivation of the pineapple, traces its history, its discovery by the western world and its introduction by European s to Asia, Africa and the Pacific. She shows how the pineapple has become a symbol in many different cultures and has lent its shape to such diverse objects as architectural elements in Scotland and Kenya, patchwork quilt patterns in the United States, textiles designs in Laos and Bangladesh, devotional requisites in Singapore and historic flags in Ghana.

The author, an imaginative and adventurous cook, has collected more than 40 delicious and unusual recipes, all using the pineapple as the main ingredient. These are suitable for feasts or family meals. As well she gives a recipe for a pineapple leaf dye and describes the use of pineapple fibre in the making of the finest cloth from the Philippines.

Claudia Hyles, married with two adult children, now resides in Canberra, Australia. In many countries in which she has lived she has worked, usually as a volunteer, in museums and art galleries, where she has been able to absorb the country’s history and culture. While in Australia, she continues her study of textiles and art, guides at the National Gallery and travels when she can. She also cooks, entertains and lectures on he pineapple and the textiles associated with it.