Meli Kalima pineapple

When we lived in Hawaii, one of the most exciting things was discovering all the new foods.

One of these is the Meli Kalima pineapple (translates from Hawaiian to English as Honey Cream pineapple) which is native to Hawaii and  is only grown at one single farm.

Frankie’s Nursery in Oahu developed the variety of pineapple and is currently the only place that grows it. The fruit is sold at local farmers markets and Whole Foods without its distinctive crown. Apparently, other growers could use the crown to propagate the unique fruit and Frankie’s wanted the market to themselves.

And, since Frankie’s is the only place that grows the Meli Kalima, and supply is limited. So, the price can be several times that of a conventional pineapple.

What makes the Meli Kalima pineapple so special is its ultra sweet flavor. In fact, the Meli Kalima is almost twice as sweet as a normal pineapple as measured on the brix scale (the measure of sweetness in fruits). It also has hints of vanilla.

The other unique thing about the Meli Kalima is that it has a low acid content so your mouth doesn’t sting when you eat a bunch of the pineapple. 

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides to Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Monsaraz, and Evora in Portugal. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms and is distributed by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.