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I live in middle Europe so pineapple (so called "ananas") is an exotic fruit for me.
What should I check when buying a pineapple to make sure it would taste well? Should it smell specific? Should it be soft or hard? Should it be big or small?
I believe this questions is valid for other regions as well. Is it?
It should be firm, not mushy, but not rock hard either.
The most important thing, however, is smell. An unripe pineapple won't smell like anything. An overripe pineapple will smell vinegary. A ripe pineapple will smell sweet.
you can test if a pineapple is ripe by trying to pluck out one of the leaves near the centre. If it comes out fairly easily then the pineapple is good to go. if its hard to get out its not ripe yet.
Inspect to make sure that it doesn't contain gnats. Else you will have a ton of these critters flying around your home for a week (more if they find more fruit to lay another nest in).
The pull-off-a-leaf test has never failed me. Moreover: look at the pineapple up close and smell it. Seeing some yellow is good, a lot of brown is not good. The smell should be strongly sugary, pleasant and with a touch of alcohol. Avoid if the alcohol smell is very strong or, worse, if there is a note of vinegar. Pineapples are high in sugar and they can start fermenting.
