Pineapple Lumps are a flavoured chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...

 covered confectionery with a soft, chewy pineapple

Pineapple

Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...

-flavoured middle that are unique to New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. They are often identified as Kiwiana

Kiwiana

Kiwiana are certain items and icons from New Zealand's heritage, especially from around the middle of the 20th century that are seen as representing iconic Kiwi elements...

. The semi-brittle shell of chocolate conceals a delightfully chewy, soft pineapple flavoured centre.

History

The first Pineapple Lumps were made by the Regina confectionery factory (now called Rainbow factory ) in Oamaru

Oamaru

Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...

 around 1952-54.
Charles Diver

Charles Diver

Charles Diver worked at Regina Confectionery Factory as confectionery chef and floor production manager until 1972 upon which he retired. He was told to devise the use for the daily waste from the production run of marshmallow and invented what is now known as Pineapple lumps...

, the confectionery

Confectionery

Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...

 chef and floor production manager at Regina, who would later create other classic kiwi sweets, was given the task of using up waste product from other lollies of the time. One sweet in particular, an early version of the chocolate fish

Chocolate fish

The chocolate fish is a confectionery from New Zealand. These candies are fish-shaped, are 6 to 8 inches in length, and are made of pink or white marshmallow covered in a thin layer of milk chocolate. Several companies make the fish but the most well recognised is Cadbury, which makes foiled and...

 with a banana flavoured marshmallow

Marshmallow

The marshmallow is a confection that, in its modern form, typically consists of sugar, corn syrup, water, gelatin that has been softened in hot water, dextrose, vanilla flavourings, and sometimes colouring, whipped to a spongy consistency. Some marshmallow recipes call for egg whites...

 middle, had the most left overs.

Pineapple Lumps are made by Pascall

Pascall (company)

Pascall is an Australian and New Zealand confectionery brand owned by Cadbury, which is now owned by Kraft Foods. The company is known for making Clinkers and Pineapple Lumps.-History:...

and typically come in 140g and 300g size packs.
Pineapple Lumps were originally called Pineapple Chunks but the name was changed in the early 1960's for want of something a little more unique and original.