SINGAPORE – Step aside, durian. In 2023, the thorny king of fruits was no match for its spiky tropical counterpart, the pineapple.
A common ingredient used in local dishes such as rojak, the tart, sweet fruit has long been associated with luck and prosperity.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam propelled it to new heights of popularity when he chose it as his campaign symbol for the presidential election, which he won in a landslide victory on Sept 1.
He had selected the pineapple, called “ong lai” in Hokkien, which means prosperity and good fortune to come, as it is a “propitious and welcome” symbol for many people. Some fruit stores reportedly sold more than 1,000 pineapples daily during the campaign period, a 10 to 15 per cent increase over the previous month.
After Mr Tharman’s win, which saw him securing 70.4 per cent of the votes, sales of pineapple pastries and products spiked.
Dessert cafe Ree and Mummy, which usually sells two to three of its six-inch signature charred pineapple cheesecakes ($48) daily, sold 30 the day after the presidential election, when it launched a one-for-one deal to celebrate Mr Tharman’s victory.
Popular bakery chain SunnyHills saw sales of its pineapple cakes jump 30 per cent during the presidential campaign. Sales of its pineapple mooncakes also tripled after Mr Tharman’s win, wiping out its stock within days.
From prata to soju, businesses rode the pineapple victory bandwagon with more spiky offerings.
Casuarina Curry, an eatery in Upper Thomson Road, offered a week-long promotion on its pineapple prata and pineapple cheese prata at half the usual price of $2 and $2.50.
Joyous JellyArt, which offers artisanal jellies, sold more than 20 pieces of an intricate pineapple jelly, priced at $88 each. Owner Doreen Lee, 51, posted photos of her creation on social media to show her support for Mr Tharman.
In Ang Mo Kio, vegan ice cream and waffle shop Heartbreak Melts offered a free mini scoop of pineapple ice cream for every waffle set purchased from Sept 1 to 3. Fruit hamper business The First Fruits rolled out 25 sets of its Presidential Ong Lai Fruit Basket on its Instagram page on Sept 2.
Bars and bistros were also quick to cash in.
Soi 44 in Prinsep Street held a two-day promotion the weekend after the presidential election, giving a tower of 1.5 litres of pineapple soju, worth $48, to patrons who came dressed in pineapple-themed attire.
In September, Indian eatery Semma Bistro, in Sembawang Road, concocted a special cocktail – a blend of pineapple, gin and rum – to mark Mr Tharman’s win. It sold up to 15 glasses of the $24 cocktail every night.
All hail the pineapple, the fruit of the year.
