A tropical fruit that is native to South America, the pineapple followed in its cultivation behind the tomato and the very much-loved corn and potato. It was a symbol of exoticism – at the end of the day sex sells – as pineapple was a luxury available only to adorn the lavish tables of royalty. The first-ever European-grown pineapple was by a Dutch female botanist called Agneta Block who grew her pineapples in 1685 from a slip, in a hothouse at her country estate in Vijverhof. I wonder if Agneta could envision the age-old argument that pineapple belongs on a Hawaiian pizza (which it does, and I will die on this hill). This brings me to legend-of-all-legends Sam Panopoulos, a Greek-Canadian who created the stunning flavour combo in 1962 in his Satellite restaurant in Chatham, Ontario – the name ‘Hawaiian’ comes from the canned brand of pineapple originally used – so move over all those other Greek inventions such as democracy, geometry and the foundations of modern medicine, there’s a new kid in town. Kudos to you, Sam.

1 My amazing sous chef Jade has taught me some of her grandmother’s Mexican classics and this simple recipe for carnitas (Mexican slow-cooker pork) for tacos with a cheeky little fresh pineapple salsa is a winner. Take 2kg pork shoulder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 chopped onion, 2 smoky ancho chillis, 5 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano, juice of 3 oranges, 2 teaspoons ground cumin and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Put it all in a slow cooker and cook on slow for 10 hours or on high for 7 hours. Skim off the excess fat and shred the carnitas. Make a quick pineapple pico de gallo from 100g chopped pineapple, ½ chopped red onion, 2 chopped jalapeños, 1 handful of fresh coriander, the juice of 1 lime, 1 chopped red capsicum and some salt and pepper and then topped off with Tajin seasoning. Serve with refried beans.

2 Pina Colada silver dollar pancakes with the girlies is one of my favourite brunches and everyone is always well impressed when I bring these out. Put 370g plain flour, 5 teaspoons baking powder, 4 tablespoons white sugar and a pinch of salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl mix 2 eggs with 370ml full-fat milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3 teaspoons browned butter and 70g grated pineapple with the juice squeezed out. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and whip to a smooth batter. Cook tablespoons of batter in a non-stick frying pan with a little extra butter for a couple of minutes, flipping over to get both sides golden. Serve with dollops of mascarpone and adorn with maple and toasted coconut flakes. Makes enough for 4 adults.

3 Dark rum-glazed pineapple with chilli and vanilla ice cream is next-level lush. Slice a peeled pineapple into 8 wedges. In a pan, heat 100ml dark rum with 50ml water and 50g dark brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of dried chilli. Drop the pineapple in and cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat so it’s all nice and sticky. Take it out of the pan and char grill it on the barbecue. While it’s still hot, serve it with shop-bought ice cream and freshly zested limes.

4 Don’t waste your pineapple skins – use them to make pineapple skin tea. Believe this or not, it knocks your sniffles to the kerb and it’s great for all things detox. I take the pineapple skins and boil them in about 500ml water, then add 50g mānuka honey and two big pinches of cayenne chilli pepper.

5 For snapper ceviche take 500g skinned snapper and dice into small cubes. Add the juice from 10 limes, 120g pineapple cut the same size as the snapper, 1 small habanero chilli finely diced, ½ red onion finely diced, 1 handful of chopped coriander, 40ml coconut milk and salt and pepper to season. Pop it in the fridge for 3 hours and serve as desired – I serve with some fried tortilla chips and some chopped avo.

Wairoa-born Jess Murphy is chef-owner of Michelin-awarded restaurant Kai in Galway, Ireland. She was named Global Ambassador for 2024 at the Women in Food and Drink Aotearoa New Zealand Awards.