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Welcome to the Thai Riviera on the Gulf of Siam
Pineapple Plantations along the Gulf of Siam
The origin of the pineapple plant is South America, where it was cultivated long before the discovery of America. Christoph Columbus was the first to bring pineapples to Europe, from where Portuguese traders shipped the fruit to South East Asia at the end of the 16th century.
In most Asian countries the Indian name "nana" is adopted to the language, but in Thailand it is called "zapparot". The pineapple plant, that belongs to the genus Bromeliaceae is a ground-growing plant with thorny leaves of 30-100 cm length. Different hybrids have been cultivated during the centuries varying in taste and size including plants without prickles. For planting, runners of old plants are used and it takes 15 -24 months until the fruit is ripe, that is up to 2 kg of weight and contains beside sugar the vitamines C, B1, B2 and a ferment of high digestive activity. With 2 million tons, Thailand is the world's biggest producer with the main area and the canning factories located around Hua Hin. The fruits from the more southern provinces are bigger and the pineapples from Phuket are sweet and sour.
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