Not long after we arrived in Antigua, we overheard a couple chatting about a species of pineapple grown on the island called the Antigua Black Pineapple.
We weren’t surprised that pineapple grew on Antigua – with it’s beautiful green, rolling hills, it appeared to be quite fertile. What surprised us was that we’d never heard of this species of pineapple that was said to be renowned for its crisp texture, low acid and high sugar content. In fact those that grow the Black Pineapple variety are said to choose quality over quantity to retain the extremely sweet taste in the golden yellow fruit. Touted, in fact, as the sweetest pineapple in the world! We wondered what it might taste like in a Frozen Pineapple Daiquiri, or perhaps a Pineapple Rum Punch? Anyway, we decided we had to try to find one and sample it.
Our journey to find this Antiguan delight took us to the south end of the island to an area called Old Road – apparently known as the fruit basket of Antigua.
We’d been told to keep our eyes open for fruit stands on the side of the road and sure enough we found several – all prominently displaying their stock of the local delicacy.
We stopped at a stand called Clemie’s and made a bee-line to the pineapple, but were suddenly sidetracked by a luscious array of fresh fruits and vegetables, including bananas and mangos – all grown in the nearby the fields.
After chatting with a group of women sitting on the side of the fruit stand about how to choose a ripe Black Pineapple, we looked through the stock on hand and picked a good one – we hoped.
Since we wanted to sample the pineapple immediately, we said yes when asked if we would like it prepared.
We were handed a Styrofoam container with several toothpicks poked in the top to give us quick access to the delicious looking fruit. We popped a piece in our mouths and savored it. How was it? SO sweet and delicious! But you should really try one yourself – just to make sure you agree.
Want to find out more? Claremont Farms also offers a tour of their Antigua Black Pineapple fields that we unfortunately learned of after our return. Find out about it here.
Have you tried Antigua Black Pineapple? Tell us about it!
Find Old Road on our Antigua Map
To see more posts on Antigua and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory
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