What Is the World’s Most Expensive Fruit?世界上最贵的水果是什么?

We don’t usually think about fruit being that expensive. In fact， we cantypically find a banana for less than a dollar in most places！

我们通常不会想到水果会那么贵。事实上，我们在大多数地方都能找到一根不到一美元的香蕉！

Fruit is meant to be a good part of a balanced diet， so even if youusually spend a few bucks more on your favorite fruit， at least it’s for aworthy cause.

水果是均衡饮食的重要组成部分，所以即使你经常在你最喜欢的水果上多花几块钱，至少它是有价值的。

Even something like pineapples， a tropical1 fruit which can only begrown in certain climates， are still easy to find almost anywhere. Thanks to mass2 production， even after shipping costs they still won’t end up being toocostly. But what if I told you there was a certain type of pineapple that isworth thousands of dollars？

甚至像菠萝这种只能在特定气候条件下生长的热带水果，在几乎任何地方都很容易找到。由于它是大规模生产的，即使扣除运输成本，它们最终也不会太贵。但如果我告诉你有一种菠萝值几千美元呢？

To be fair， that wouldn’t be too far off from how things were a fewcenturies ago.

确切地说，这与几个世纪前的情况相差无几。

Looking into the past

回顾过去

For better understanding， let’s take a step back in time！

为了更好地理解这一事实，让我们回到过去吧！

In the 1700’s， pineapples used to be a status3 symbol of wealth.

在18世纪，菠萝曾是财富地位的象征。

This was because they weren’t grown in Europe， so when world explorersbrought back this rare and exotic4 new fruit， supply5 was low and demand6 washigh. In those days， one pineapple would cost today’s equivalent to $8，000 dollars！

这是因为欧洲并不种植菠萝，所以当世界探险家们带回这种稀有而奇异的新水果时，它变得供不应求。那时候，一个菠萝的价值相当于今天的八千美元！

Of course， pineapples are now easily bought， even by us common people， andthe symbol is gone.

当然，现在即使是我们普通人也很容易买到菠萝，因而这个象征已经消失了。

However， there are still a few pineapples with a high price tag on them.

然而，仍然有一些菠萝上贴着昂贵的标价。

At the Lost Gardens of Heligan in the United Kingdom， you’ll find pineapples grown in mud structures heated with rotting7 manure8. But don’t worry—the pineapples never actually come into contact with the manure.

在英国的海利根失落花园，你会发现菠萝生长在和腐烂肥料一起加热的泥质建筑中。但别担心——菠萝从来没有真正接触到肥料。

The strange strategies used here are reflective of older techniques in order togrow this tropical fruit in a colder climate.

这里使用的奇怪策略反映了在较冷气候下种植这种热带水果的古老技术。

In fact， the structure these rare pineapples are grown in was unearthed in 1991and renovated just two years later to a working state.

事实上，种植这些珍稀菠萝的建筑是1991 年出土的，仅仅两年就被 修复到了可使用的状态。

How much does it cost to grow these pineapples？

种植这些菠萝要花多少钱？

Well technically， these special pineapples aren’t even on the market—sothey’re priceless. However with the manpower over the course of the 2 years ittakes to grow a pineapple， the cost to make each pineapple is $1，300. So if they’renot for sale， where do they go？

从技术上讲，这些特别的菠萝根本不在市场上出售，所以它们是无价的。然而，种植一个菠萝需要两年的人力，每个菠萝的成本是1300美元。如果它们不出售，它们会去哪里？

The successfully grown pineapples go right back to the staff who grew them asan appreciation for growing them in the first place. But， one of the pineapples hasbeen given away.

成功种植的菠萝首先直接回到种植菠萝的员工那里，作为对他们种植菠萝的一种感激。但是，其中一个菠萝被送人了。

The second pineapple ever grown in the Lost Gardens was gifted to QueenElizabeth II in honor of her 50th wedding anniversary.

在英国女王伊丽莎白二世结婚50周年纪念日之际，英国失落花园中种植的第二个菠萝被赠送给了她。

If one of these pineapples were to go up for auction or sale， due to the rarity，ancient technique， time spent growing， and manual labor， these pineapples areworth $16，000！

如果这些菠萝中有一个被拿去拍卖或出售，由于其稀有性、古老的工艺、栽培的时间和体力劳动，这种菠萝价值16000美元！

Although you’ll probably never be able to taste one， staff describe the taste as “deliciously sweet， not stringy9， and with an explosive10 flavor.”

虽然你可能永远也尝不到这种味道，但工作人员形容这种味道“香甜可口，不粘腻，而且有爆炸性的美味。”

（英语原文选自：thefactsite.com）