Top Twenty Tuesday #17: Bananas (Musa (AAA group) 'Dwarf Cavendish')

They might fall just behind apples as the most popular fruit in America, but their wide consumption as a fruit and a starch source makes bananas contender #17.

History: Bananas are tropical herbs that were cultivated 7-10,000 years ago. All of the bananas that we eat are seedless, although wild ones are filled with hard, inedible seeds. Bananas spread from Southeast Asia through the Middle East, into Africa, and finally into Europe and the Americas. The banana that most Americans identified with was called Big Mike and went functionally extinct in the 1950's as a result of the Panama Disease. When you eat an ordinary yellow banana nowadays it is a cultivar called the Cavendish.

Worldwide Production: 85.9 million tons

Growing: Bananas are tropical fruits and require very large amounts of water and fertilizer. Bananas are considered one of the twelve least contaminated foods, with few pests. However, the one pest that you may have heard of is the Panama Disease, which is caused by a fusarium fungus.  Bananas are propagated from cuttings, which makes sense since the seeds have been bred into those tiny little black sterile pips.  This also means that every Cavendish plant in the world is genetically identical (see Sustainability).

Harvesting: Bananas are removed as a hand, which can be up to 20 bananas.  Up to 20 hands make up a bunch.  One plant can make multiple bunches per year on a continuous basis, for up to 25 years.

Processing: The vast majority of bananas are sold on in whole form, of course.  In tropical countries that depend on them as a food source, they are often obtained and cooked in unripe (green) form.  A minority of bananas are sliced, dried, and deep fried to make chips.  Actually, every part of the banana can be used in some form, with the leaves often used as plates or food wrappings.  The flowers and stems are used in some southeast Asian cuisines.  Finally, the inedbile fibers are used in the textile industry to some extent.

Health Information: One cup of banana will get you a decent portion of the day's fiber (23%), vitamins C (33%) and B6, potassium, and manganese. All of this for 200 Calories, which mostly come from sugar, approximately 1/2 glucose and 1/2 fructose.

Sustainability: For those of us in the northern climes, bananas should be considered a luxury.  Unlike other tropical foods (chocolate, coffee, sugar) they are mostly water weight and thus account for significant transport costs.  Fortunately, transport is mostly by boat which is much less environmentally costly than air flight.  There are other issues which stem from the banana's role as poster boy for monoculture.  Between the bunchy banana virus and Panama Disease, which began affecting the most common cultivar of banana, the Cavendish, in 2008, the future is quite uncertain.  The reason is that once a disease learns how to get past one Cavendish plant's defenses, it can similarly affect ALL the plants.  This won't result in extinction but will likely result in the commercial disappearance of Cavendish bananas at some point.  Industry's solution?  Genetic modification.

Bottom Line: Bananas are extremely important foodstuffs for much of the tropical world.  You should consider them a luxury and eat them as such.

Relevant Blog: Bananas - Dan Koeppel's Blog: He's the author of the book "Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World."  Definitely one I plan to add to my reading list, and his blog adds additional insights!

References:
1. Wikipedia
2. Banana nutrition facts
3. Image from Hawaii, 2008.