Today we thought we would share some information about the most popular fruit in the US based on tons sold, the banana. As it turns out, our bananas are all imported because we simply don’t have the type of climate conducive to their growth.
We’ve all seen pictures of bananas growing in large bunches, hanging high up in tall, slender banana trees, haven't we? Actually, that was a trick question. Bananas don’t grow from trees. The banana plant is not a tree, it is actually the world's largest herb!
The true origin of bananas is found in the region of Malaysia. By way of curious visitors, bananas traveled from there to India where they are mentioned in Buddhist Pali writings dating back to the 6th century BCE. In his campaign in India in 327 BCE, Alexander the Great relished his first taste of the banana, an usual fruit he saw growing on tall “trees”. He is even credited with bringing the banana from India to the Western world.
The first bananas arrived in our country wrapped in tin foil. They were sold for 10 cents each at a celebration held in Pennsylvania in 1876 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Bananas are grown today in almost every humid tropical region and constitute the 4th largest fruit crop in the world. The plant needs 10 - 15 months of frost-free conditions to produce a flower stalk. All but the hardiest varieties stop growing when the temperature drops below 53° F. Growth of the plant also begins to slow down at about 80° F, and it stops entirely when the temperature reaches 100° F. High temperatures and bright sunlight will also scorch leaves and fruit, although bananas grow best in full sun.
Since we simply don’t have these climate conditions anywhere in the US (except for Hawaii), we need to rely entirely on importation to get our bananas. The United States is the single largest importer of bananas; we consume more than one in every four bananas sold. Almost all of the bananas sold in the US are brought from countries in central and south America, such as Columbia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Ecuador, and Guatemala.
Nutritional Facts about Bananas
Because of their impressive potassium content, bananas are highly recommended by doctors for patients whose potassium is low. One large banana, about 9 inches in length, packs 602 mg of potassium and only carries 140 calories. That same large banana even has 2 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. Those reducing sodium in their diets can't go wrong with a banana with its mere 2 mgs of sodium. For the carbohydrate counters, there are 36 grams of carbs in a large banana.
Vitamins and minerals are abundant in the banana, offering 123 I.U. of vitamin A for the large size. A full range of B vitamins are present with .07 mg of Thiamine, .15 mg of Riboflavin, .82 mg Niacin, .88 mg vitamin B6, and 29 mcg of Folic Acid. There are even 13.8 mg of vitamin C. On the mineral scale, Calcium counts in at 9.2 mg with Magnesium at 44.1 mg. There are also trace amounts of iron and zinc.
Now that you know a little more about our favorite fruit, perhaps you would like to try a new way of enjoying bananas? Now would be a great time to experiment with new recipes, since we are featuring bananas for only 39¢/lb this week at Brookhaven.
Enjoy our collection of over 175 banana recipes.
Click Here