Bananas in the shopsSo, what about all these bananas then?
They were first farmed over 7ooo years ago and are currently the world's largest fruit crop.
So we should be concerned, right?
Our grandparents would have eaten a variety called 'Gros Michel', a banana with a creamier, more intense flavour. Sadly, this variety of banana is now extinct.
Bananas at the marketWe replaced the 'Gros Michel' variety, with the one you find in shops now, the 'Cavendish' banana. Named after the English Duke of Cavendish in 1837.
Since bananas are seedless, the fruit is basically grown by cloning; billions of genetiacally identical bananas - which explains why they are suseptible to the same disease. The 'Panama disease' that is destroying them!
Green bananas on the treeBunches of bananas are called 'hands' and the individuals are 'fingers'. The fruit stay green while they're on the tree and only ripen, go yellow, once they are picked.
When the farmer picks them, this causes the release of
ethylene gas, which makes them ripen, change colour and change their sugar content from 1% to 80% !
If you want to ripen a banana quickly put it in a paper bag with a ripe apple. next day, ready!
Banana wall, ripeningBecause space is at an optimum, they are often ripened in 'walls' before going on the shelves.
You can buy: banana bread, banana cake, banana beer, banana wine, banana yoghurt, banana custard,etc... even banana juice - which tastes strange!
Banana juice in boxesThe Hindus call bananas 'kalpatharu' and new husbands give it to their brides as a symbol of fertility. You can see why if you think about it!
India grows 20% of the world's bananas (17 million tons a year!) and India has 670 types of bananas. In the world there are over 1000 varieties of bananas - some wild bananas have teeth-shattering seeds.
Bananas ripening stagesThe Victorians were so offended by the phallic shape of bananas, that they were sold peeled, sliced and wrapped in foil! The E.U. are currently trying to grow a straight banana - but for different reasons.
We can even buy a banana holder for children's lunchboxes and have programmes on the TV such as 'Bananas in Pyjamas'. There are banana boats, songs:'We have no Bananas', and pop groups, like Bananarama!
Banana holder for lunchboxesIn 1904 the banana split was invented by David Strickler, from Pennsylvania. It cost 10c and he even made specially shaped dishes to hold his creation, called a "boat". His rival tried to make a similar product, but left the bananas unpeeled, big mistake!
You need to look out for red bananas too! We had some in Fiji!
Banana splitAnd finally, thre is even a special spider which has a yellow body and lives in bunches of bananas - it's called the 'Banana Spider' and you wouldn't want it to bite you! It's the world's most venemous spider, so look carefully in those bunches when you pick them up!
Here's a photo of me with one, aren't they beautiful!
I wonder if our grandchildren will ever taste a banana?
Banana spider
