Going Bananas

The true origin of the banana, world's most popular fruit, is found in the region of Malaysia. By way of curious visitors, bananas travelled from there to India where they are mentioned in the Buddhist Pali writings dating back to the 6th century BC. In his campaign in India in 327 BC, 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. According to Chinese historian Yang Fu, China was tending plantations of bananas in 200 AD. These bananas grew only in the southern region of China and were considered exotic, rare fruits that never became popular with the Chinese masses until the 20th century.

Eventually, this tropical fruit reached Madagascar, an island off the southeastern coast of Africa. Beginning in 650 AD Islamic warriors traveled into Africa and were actively engaged in the slave trade. Along with the thriving business in slave trading, the Arabs were successful in trading ivory along with abundant crops of bananas. Through their numerous travels westward via the slave trade, bananas eventually reached Guinea, a small area along the West Coast of Africa.

By 1402 Portuguese sailors discovered the luscious tropical fruit in their travels to the African continent and populated the Canary lslands with their first banana plantations. Continuing the banana's travels westward, the rootstocks were packed onto a ship under the charge of Tomas de Berlanga, a Portuguese Franciscan monk who brought them to the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo from the Canary Islands in the year 1516.

It wasn't long before the banana became popular throughout the Caribbean as well as Central America. Arabian slave traders are credited with giving the banana its popular name.

These bananas were actually quite small, about as long as a person's finger. Ergo the name banan, Arabic for finger. The banana plant is not a tree. It is actually the world's largest herb!

Must visit:

the Big Banana at Coffs Harbour

Must drink:

Makes 600ml
Ingredients
2 large, ripe bananas
1 heaped tablespoon yoghurt
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 small pinch of cinnamon
250 ml milk

Method:

Place all the ingredients into a blender and whiz until smooth.
Serve in a tall glass and enjoy!

Did you know?

Not that you need to know this but...: bananas can help cure a hangover. lol

Consuming alcohol causes dehydration and also depletes the body's store of potassium and magnesium. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium (over 450 mg per one banana serving) and also contain good amounts of magnesium. They are also rich in vitamin C which stimulates the liver to break down alcohol. On top of this they also contain antacid in a natural form to reduce heart burn, and carbohydrates to build up depleted sugar stores.

So to cure a hangover, eat a banana and drink plenty of water. lol How useful is history!!!