Bananas

The history of bananas

One of the first Europeans to discover the taste of bananas was Alexander the Great. During his Indian campaign in 327 BCE the great commander tried the exotic fruit and, as legend has it, was delighted.

Despite the popular belief that bananas originated in Africa they are actually from China. The first plantations of perennial grasses of the banana family appeared there in about the second century BCE. Much later Arab slave and ivory traders brought bananas to Africa where the plant took root and became so widespread that the myth about the African origin of bananas is still alive. Even later, in the beginning of 15th century Portuguese colonists brought bananas to the Canary Islands and then to the New World. But bananas were unknown to the North Americans or Europeans before 1866. The travellers who saw bananas in Latin America were impressed by them and regretted that it was impossible to bring them home, as bananas ripen faster than the time taken to get to the sea ports using tropical roads.

It is not known when the banana revolution would have happened if not for two emigrants — Samuel Zemmurray and Minor Keith. After going to Latin America and appreciating the commercial qualities of this unassuming all year round fruit bearing crop they started to build railways. The first narrow-gauge railway appeared in the previously inaccessible jungles of Costa Rica and Ecuador, then on the huge territories of Columbia, Panama, Honduras and Guatemala. Now the way was open for bananas to reach consumers.

The American premiere of the new fruit took place in 1876 at a celebration held in Philadelphia to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Wrapped in tin foil, bananas were sold for 10 cents each, the same price as a litre of milk or a pint of beer. 4 years later the United States was importing about 5 billion bananas or 16 million «banana inflorescences». An inflorescence is a huge stem covered in banana hands. Until the 1950’s the «banana inflorescence», which contains about 300 fruit, was a unit of measure in the banana trade. In 1951 this unit was replaced by the 18 kg box which is still the standard pack.

At the same time Latin America was overrun by real banana fever. The tropical fruit which was brought by the conquistadors became the salvation of Latin America. In the remotest and most forgotten areas new plantations were laid out, electricity and telegraph were introduced, schools, shops and bars were opened. In 1899 the Latin American banana producers merged into the United Banana Company. This company remains the biggest world banana exporter and sells under the Chiquita trade mark.

Soon after appearing in North America bananas arrived in Europe. This happened initially by accident when one «inflorescence» turned up in a warehouse belonging to Harry Lemke, a trader of colonial goods from Hamburg. Very green and tasteless fruit were left in the far corner of the warehouse. They were found two weeks later when they had ripened and began to produce the most heavenly aroma. Two months later bananas had become a regular part product of the colonial goods shop «Lemke and sons».

The shop was situated on Hamburg's upmarket Jungfernstieg promenade, known in Germany as the «marriage market». Young girls of marriageable age strolled along Alster happily eating bananas and the new delicacy became the hit of the season. Fashionable shops sold handbags in the shape of bananas, scarves and shawls with banana prints and even hats decorated with bananas made of papier-mâché. In 1903 the first cargo ship with a refrigerated hold was launched. It was called Venus and it sailed between the Ecuadorian port Guayaquil and Marseille. Paris became the banana capital of Europe, and it was Paris where the «career» of the banana became an object of modern culture. The banana became an integral part of art salons. Salvador Dali and the young Pablo Picasso appeared at exhibition openings with a banana in their hands. Vincent van Gogh and Henry Russo included bananas in their still life paintings.

Today the banana is the fourth largest produced cultivated crop and only rice, wheat and corn are ahead of it.

Bananas and health

Bananas contain sucrose, fructose and glucose. Thanks to these three types of fruit sugar we receive a great charge of energy and strength from eating a banana. It is important that our body digests sucrose, fructose and glucose at different speeds. Therefore, one banana gives us up to 4 hours energy. This is why sportsmen are particularly fond of them.

In addition bananas contain the protein triptophane which promotes the release of serotonin, the body’s natural «happy» chemical. This is why bananas help put us in a good mood. Also, the banana is unique because it has high potassium content together with low sodium content which helps to decrease blood pressure.