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1. In recorded history, bananas date back to around 600 B.C.E., when they were mentioned in Buddhist texts.
2. Bananas came to the Americas in the 15th century but weren’t regularly imported to the United States until later, following their showcase at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.
3. On average, American consumers eat 30 pounds of bananas a year. [Image courtesy of Johanna Beyenbach.]
4. Banana peels have been a staple of slapstick slip-and-fall gags for decades, but in the 1960s, many people tried using them for a different purpose—to get high. Rumors that smoking dried banana peels caused hallucinogenic effects were likely started in part by singer Country Joe McDonald, who mistakenly attributed an acid trip to a banana-peel joint he’d tried. Regardless, the trippy allegations touched off a banana run on fruit stands across the country, until an FDA investigation found no evidence to support the claim.
5. Several films have used the familiar yellow fruit in their titles, including Herbie Goes Bananas and Banana Joe. But perhaps the most notable is Bananas, Woody Allen’s 1971 banana republic–themed political satire.
6. Of course, Allen reportedly only named the movie Bananas because “there are no bananas in it.”
7. Whether that’s true or not, it was probably a wiser choice than the movie’s original title, “El Weirdo.”
8. Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper, and Snorky were the Saturday morning TV quartet collectively known as The Banana Splits. Their infectiously happy “Tra La La Song” hit the U.S. singles chart back in 1969. [Image courtesy of House of Dracula.]
9. Because they’re a major source of potassium, vitamin C, and other nutrients, bananas are believed to aid in the treatment of morning sickness and hangovers.
10. Like money, bananas don’t grow on trees. They grow on plants. Unlike money, they’re members of the same family as Manila hemp.
11. Bats help bananas pollinate and spread banana seeds in the wild.
12. The next time you’re at a sports bar, lay off the Budweiser and ask the bartender if there’s any Banana Wine on tap. Despite the fancy-pants name, this East African booze definitely doesn’t need a corkscrew. The banana booze tastes more like beer than anything from Grandma’s cellar.
13. That luscious yellow fruit isn’t the only edible part of the banana plant. In fact, the banana flower often finds its way into soups and curries in Southeast Asia, while the succulent core of the plant’s trunk is sometimes used in Burmese and Bengali cuisine. Even the leaves can be handy in the kitchen—they’re often used to wrap food while it’s being steamed.
14. The United States imports an estimated 4 million tons of bananas a year.
15. As any banana aficionado knows, a bunch of bananas is called a hand; individual bananas are called fingers.
16. Rev. Canaan Banana became Zimbabwe’s first black president in 1980. Despite his lovable name, his rule was plagued with scandals.
17. From Harry Belafonte’s “Banana Boat Song” to the Velvet Underground’s iconic Andy Warhol cover art, it’s become clear that embracing bananas equals big record sales.
18. The Japanese art punk band Melt Banana has clearly taken the idea to its logical extreme. Here’s hoping they last longer than Bananarama.
19. As a kid, Lucille Ball was fired from a drugstore for forgetting to put bananas in a banana split.
This article was written by Jeff Fleischer, and originally appeared in the July-August 2006 issue of mental_floss magazine.
Comments (20)
Comment
When I was in Cambodia, I ate bananas which were completely green, as if the bananas were just picked off the tree (which they were), and they tasted exactly like a fully ripened yellow banana in the U.S. In fact, there are also red bananas.
posted by Peter on 3-30-2008 at 7:02 pm
I officially call BS on the “hand” and “fingers” thing. That was MADE UP.
posted by Bx on 3-30-2008 at 7:27 pm
I can only eat a bannana if it is perfectly yellow and bruise free. I seperate them so they don’t spoil eachother, and freeze any that are too far gone for bannana bread. My daughters like them sliced with cinnamon sugar and some milk–I think cream is the proper serving method, but whatever on hand works well for breakfast time.
Also– #5 and #6 are a little too related to be a new useful fact, and #7 had nothing at all to do with bannana’s, so I feel a little cheated…
posted by Amanda on 3-30-2008 at 9:13 pm
I like bananas for an obvious reason - my name. :) I love them when they’re just a day or two away from being spoiled, call me crazy. Love them with cornflakes too and in a peanut butter sandwich. Yum.
posted by Anna on 3-31-2008 at 4:36 am
I’m a little weird, but I like them still a bit green–anything else seems too mushy. Of course, mushy is great for making banana bread, so I’ll take ‘em that way as well!
posted by nutmeag on 3-31-2008 at 7:15 am
Don’t forget that Kirk Cameron says bananas are proof of God’s existence (Google “kirk cameron banana” for the link).
posted by Brachinus on 3-31-2008 at 9:24 am
There were some news stories a few years back about the fact that the banana is going extinct. Anyone remember it? For some reason that fact stuck in my Husband’s head and he repeats it every time someone mentions the ‘b’ word!
posted by Sandy C on 3-31-2008 at 9:37 am
I have been thinking about bananas for a while now…it seems when I was a kid, the ones I ate weren’t as sweet as the ones now..they didn’t bruise as easily, they were more mellow…i don’t know how to explain it, its just a taste thing I can tell…
If you like butterflies in your garden, poke holes in your older bananas w/a fork, and set them in the yard…the butterflies will poke their tongues into the holes and eat the softened/rotting fruit for days…bees and smaller beneficial flies will also arrive…I counted 13 red admirials on one banana last year…I buy bunches specifically for my butterflies…weird, I know…
posted by donner on 3-31-2008 at 9:52 am
Bx: No BS - “hand” and “finger” are the proper terms.
Banana peels make great fertilizer for roses. Just bury them a few inches down near the base of the bush.
posted by Betsy on 3-31-2008 at 10:09 am
i find your lack of a bananaphone reference quite sad, but thanks for this otherwise comprehensive bananapedia.
posted by heather on 3-31-2008 at 11:18 am
19 Essential Talking Points for the Banana Enthusiast | Deliggit.com…
\r\n1. In recorded history, bananas date back to around 600 B.C.E., when they were me…
posted by Deliggit.com | The social sites' most interesting urls on 3-31-2008 at 11:24 am
I believe I have become physically unable to eat bananas. When I was a kid I didn’t really like them, but throughout college I started eating them more and more. Right after I graduated, though, I noticed I would get heartburn more frequently if I had eaten a banana. Now I can’t even eat a small piece without feeling like I’ve swallowed a car battery. And the more I mention it to people, the more there are that say it’s the same way for them or someone they know.
Anyone know why this happens? I’ve heard it said that some people are intolerant to the potassium levels in bananas, but I don’t know if that’s true.
posted by bas on 3-31-2008 at 11:26 am
Brachinus I was gonna mention the exact same thing. he shockingly ignores other fruit such as coconuts, pineapples and pomegranates which are perfectly edible but quite pains-in-the-a’s to eat
posted by Rob on 3-31-2008 at 12:38 pm
and if you need a way to transport your delicious snack, check out the “banana guard.” type that into your googles and see the truly wonderful and twisted site that comes out on top.
mine’s yellow. and no, i’ve never used it except as a conversation starter.
posted by terri on 3-31-2008 at 1:46 pm
Bas - I am actually somewhat allergic to bananas and I did not used to be, so it’s possible you’ve developed an allegry or intolerance for them. I really like them, but they have to be very, very ripe (at the very end of the stage that is considered ‘edible’) otherwise my throat starts itching and my stomach gets upset. I actually ate the first banana I’ve had in about a year for breakfast this morning. It was great - I wish I could eat them more often…
posted by Nicole on 3-31-2008 at 5:49 pm
Anyone else heard before that humans share something like 50% of our DNA with bananas?
Don’t know how true it is, but it’s kind of cool…
posted by erm on 3-31-2008 at 8:41 pm
There’s a local grocery store that has a sign on the door to their back room, “no bananas allowed in back room.” I wonder what the reasoning is. I also very tempted to throw some bananas back there.
posted by Reese on 4-1-2008 at 7:44 pm
donner:
try buying organic bananas. they ripen differently because they aren’t treated the same.
they are not consistant, the way it should be. sometimes they taste like regular, cheaper commercial ones. but other times, i expect you would find them to be as good as when you were a kid. i have noticed at times a really nice banana flavour.
posted by Bobby the K on 4-7-2008 at 12:34 pm
I like bananas, they are a useful snack and easy to add to smoothies, fruit salads or cereal so they are a consistent part of my ‘five a day’. However, I once peeled a banana and two or three, small brown spiders tumbled on to my hand from WITHIN the banana and gave me quite a shock. I get nervous each and every time I open one, bnut it kind of adds to the enjoyment.
(Spider infested banana was bought from Asda, Hyson Green, Nottingham, UK at approx 2pm on 28/10/2001 by the way, can’t ever forget)
posted by Glenn on 4-14-2008 at 7:31 pm
I love bananas. Unfortunately, I am a bit allergic. I have to cut them into small pieces with a knife and put them into my mouth. If banana touches my lips they get itchy and sometimes swell up. That is the only part they really affect, but it’s a pain in the buttocks all the same.
posted by Henna on 4-28-2008 at 1:54 am