Bananas

Bananas are a popular fruit with a yellow skin. They originated in South-East Asia and are now growing in many tropical countries. In Central and South America, bananas are grown for export to temperate countries. The banana plant also provides leaves and fibers useful for making roofing, mats and baskets.

The banana plant usually grows to a height of 4.5 to 6 meters. Although it looks like a tree, it is not a tree, because its trunk consists of leaf stalks growing close together and not of wood. The bananas grow in large, cone-shaped bunches hanging below the large leaves. There may be one hundred or more bananas in each bunch, but only one bunch on each trunk. The fruit is usually picked while still green and left to ripen during the journey to markets in other countries. If they are still unripe when they arrive, the bananas may be ripened artificially.

Bananas consist of about three-quarters water and almost one-quarter sugar and starch, with a little fat and protein.

A large herbaceous plant cultivated in tropical and semi-tropical regions in great abundance, and one of the most productive plants known.

The fruit of the banana is the staple food of the natives in many of the Pacific Islands. Compared with wheat the productiveness of the banana is as 133 to 1, and against potatoes 44 to 1.

Bananas Baked
In South America bananas are baked and eaten as a substitute for meat. They are slit and buttered, then baked, like the homely potato "in their jackets" for half an hour.

Bananas Scalloped
Cover a buttered pudding dish with a thick layer of sliced bananas; over this put two tablespoons of sugar, and moisten with lemon juice, and then sprinkle a layer of breadcrumbs, repeating this process until the dish is filled; pour a little melted butter over the top and bake until the top of slightly browned.

Banana Cake
Put in a saucepan four tablespoons of sugar, four of sherry, and the same amount of orange juice; place over heat, peel and thinly slice six bananas and add to the liquid. Cook them for five minutes. Make a sponge or cup cake and bake it in a biscuit tin. When the cake is partly cool, spilt it and spread half of prepared bananas over the lower part; place the top of the cake on the fruit, and put the remaining bananas on top.

The original home of the banana is still a matter of dispute, but there is no doubt that this fruit is of great antiquity. When Alexander the Great invaded India he found that it was extensively cultivated in the lower valley of the Indus. The banana tree grows best in tropical climates where there is a heavy rainfall, and nowadays the chief banana producing districts are the West Indies, Central and South America, tropical Africa and Asia, the Canary Islands and the Malay Peninsula. The banana tree is a herbaceous perennial and has a very high productivity. Whether for export or local consumption, it is gathered from the tree in the green state and allowed to ripen. Should it ripen on the tree, the banana becomes insipid and loses its flavor.

From the food point of view, the banana is valuable for it has a high energy content owing to its relatively large proportion of carbohydrate. This consists largely of sugars and in this respect the banana is richer in energy-producing material than either the orange or the apple. In its ripe state the banana is very easily digested, but if unripe, i.e., before the starch has been converted to sugar, it may lead to dyspeptic disturbance. The banana also contains a small amount of protein and of fat while vitamins A and C are represented though not in large quantities. The fruit is also rich in the mineral salts of potassium, magnesium, calcium (lime) and phosphorus.

The banana has a wide range of use in the dietary. It may be eaten raw, fried or with milk and cream, or along with other fruits in salad form. The banana is a nourishing food for children who usually enjoy its flavor, and it is one of the fruits which can be eaten by those who possess "a weak digestion." It is also recommended in the treatment of children suffering from coeliac disease.