Madhupur pineapple: picking a ripe one and cutting it the easy way

The Madhupur tract in Tangail is famous for pineapples. In the monsoon, roughly June to August, its juicy fruit travels all over the country.

How to spot a ripe pineapple

Smell: sniff the base. A sweet scent means ripe; no scent means it is still green; a sour, fermented smell means it is past its best.
Weight: of two pineapples the same size, the heavier one holds more juice.
Colour: golden yellow spreads up from the base. Some varieties stay green when ripe, so trust your nose more than your eyes.
Touch: it should give slightly under pressure but not feel mushy.

Cut off the crown and the base and stand the pineapple up.
Slice the skin off from top to bottom.
The eyes run in diagonal rows: cut along each row in a V and lift them out, so you waste less fruit.
Quarter it lengthways and remove the hard core.

Toss chopped pineapple with a little salt, black salt, chopped green chilli and a pinch of sugar. It is lovely with rice or khichuri.

A whole pineapple keeps for a day or two at room temperature. Keep cut pineapple in a covered box in the fridge and eat it within three days.

In season, order our Madhupur pineapple.