pineapple smoothie

August 14, 2010 / Mike Kostyo

The partaking of a slice of pineapple after a meal is quite in accordance with physiological indications since though it may not be generally known fresh pineapple juice contains a remarkably active digestive principle similar to pepsin. This principle has been termed bromelin and so powerful is its action upon proteids that it will digest as much as one thousand times its weight within a few hours. Its digestive activity varies in accordance with the kind of proteid to which it is subjected. Filbrin disappears entirely after a time. With the coagulated albumen of eggs the digestive process is slow while with the albumen of meat its action seems first to produce a pulpy gelatinous mass which however completely dissolves after a short time. When a slice of fresh pineapple is placed upon a raw beefsteak the surface of the steak becomes gradually gelatinous owing to the digestive action of the enzyme of the juice.

- The Journal of the Franklin Institute Devoted to Science and Mechanic Arts, July-December 1902

Mmmm! Now that your mouth is watering...

If you are looking for a little digestive assistance, or perhaps seeking to gelatinize the surface of a piece of raw beefsteak, you could do worse than a pineapple smoothie. Unfortunately, while there is no shortage of recipes for pineapple mango smoothies to be found, or pineapple orange smoothies, or pineapple banana smoothies, or strawberry banana pineapple smoothies, or tropical pineapple smoothies, or pineapple coconut smoothies, or pineapple berry smoothies, or pineapple papaya smoothies, or pineapple lemon smoothies, or pineapple blueberry smoothies, or even pineapple cucumber berry smoothies, rare is the the recipe for a simple pineapple smoothie, left at that. And the recipes one does find include ingredients such as sweetened condensed milk, protein powder, pineapple sherbet and other nonsense.

This recipe is nearly as simple as a smoothie recipe can be, which is fitting for the "Treat of Kings," as the pineapple was once known. It's a bright and refreshing summer treat, as well as a nice change of pace from your everyday smoothie varieties (alright already, strawberry banana). You can use fresh pineapple that you freeze yourself or purchase pre-packaged frozen pineapple chunks, but frozen fruit is absolutely essential for a beautifully smooth, ice-cold consistency with a big fruit flavor.