Fruit
Smooth Cayenne
A tier
Smooth Cayenne is the spineless-leaved Cayenne clone that powered twentieth-century pineapple plantations—large fruit, juicy acidic flesh, and leaves safer to handle than spiny Cayenne types. Flesh is pale to medium yellow with classic pineapple perfume and a tart edge that brightens cooked dishes. For decades it was the unnamed pineapple inside most cans. Still valued for processing, juice concentrate, and traditional recipes that expect assertive acidity. Fresh fruit can be outstanding at peak but is less common in premium retail than MD-2 gold types. Core is substantial; trim according to use.
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Grading systems
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History
Smooth-leaved Cayenne clones were preferred and distributed for plantation labour efficiency.
Hawaiian industrial fields standardised Smooth Cayenne for canning lines.
Smooth Cayenne remained the world’s dominant commercial pineapple clone.
Fresh-market MD-2 reduced Smooth Cayenne retail presence while factories still ran on Cayenne chemistry.