Banana Musa sapientum, musa paradisiaca References to banana cultivation in India go back to at least 5,000BC and in Hindu tradition it is known as ‘the forbidden fruit’. Indeed, some even think that it was more likely to have been the banana, not the apple, which was Eden’s forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This theme is taken further with two of the species specific names both reflecting the knowledge theme; musa sapientum (dessert) ‘sages’ banana’ and musa paradisiaca (plantain) ‘banana of paradise’. The name musa is from the Sanskrit, Moca, via its Arabic counterpart, mauz. Chinese banana cultivation is thought to have started in around AD 200, with the fruit reaching Africa during the 1st modern millennium, then to the Mediterranean and Phillipines around 1,000 years ago and the Canary Islands by the early 15th century. It is officially recorded that the plant was taken westwards by Friar Tomas de Berlanga, (later Bishop of Panama), in 1516, to Santo Domingo, although remains found in early Peruvian tombs may provide evidence of earlier arrivals via trans-Pacific migration. Their appearance in England caused quite a stir and a bunch of bananas was displayed as a public attraction and novelty at Johnson’s Herbalry in the City of London in 1627. It wasn’t until 1878, when Fyffe, Hudson & Co started shipping supplies from the Canary Islands, that any signifant quantities reached our shore. As synonymous as Fyffe’s became with the banana in this country, however, it was actually the shipping magnate, Sir Alfred Jones, who was largely responsible for the greatest growth in banana imports. He ensured that his ships carried bananas in any spare cargo space and even hired costermongers and barrows to ensure that they were sold immediately upon unloading, before they could over-ripen. So London and Liverpool, whose docks Sir Alfred’s ships came into, were the first cities in England to be introduced to the banana. Further boosts to banana imports came in 1900 when there was a decline in the importation of cochineal from the Canaries and bananas were substituted, further aided in 1901 with the introduction of the new refrigerated ships which meant that the cargo would ripen more slowly. Banana cargoes became almost an obsession with the British, and, from the mid-19th century until the outbreak of the Second World War, arrivals were reported in the daily national newspapers such as the Times. Banan is the Arabic word for 'finger', and was probably assigned to the fruit more for its finger-shape than for the fact that it is, indeed, Mother Nature's perfect finger food. Healthy, filling, no core, no pips and conveniently wrapped in a disposable and biodegradable skin which is also, happily a great aid to eating the fruit cleanly and hygienically. It's not just the fruit of the banana, however, which can be used. The banana flower is eaten in many Asian countries; boiled, sliced and used in dishes such as salads, curries or as a vegetable accompaniment. The leaves, too, serve many purposes in the tropics; providing a convenient wrapping medium for foodstuffs; plates and platters; cups and bowls for fruits and desserts; containers for snack foods; linings for cooking pots and utensils; and as a way of wrapping foods such as fish or rice for steaming. There are hundreds of varieties of banana, although we mainly see the fairly straight, yellow dessert types of the Cavendish family in this country. However, the Red, with its soft, orange flesh and pear-drop flavour, the small ovoid Apple, whose flavour is, as its name would suggest, very apple-like, and the cooking Plantain varieties are starting to appear in major supermarket chains and specialist retailers. In 1994, Eurocrats in Brussels, never having heard the old Music Hall ditty 'I've never seen a straight banana', actually introduced legislation detailing the ideal specifications for a banana destined for import into the community: the Euro-banana should be 14cm (51/2 inches) long by 2.5cm (1 inch) and should ‘not be abnormally curved’. All this with a straight face! The banana is not just a pretty fruit that the kids can use as a toy gun in their packed lunches, though. Looks aside, it has actually been described as the ‘perfect’ food by many a food writer and nutritionist. One famous American professor of nutrition, Earl Mindell, has been quoted as saying that if he was ever stranded on a desert island, the two things he would need to survive would be a banana tree and water! Chinese medicine recommends eating one or two soft bananas morning and night on an empty stomach to relieve constipation; and, apparently, water which has had banana peel boiled in it makes an effective hangover cure. Traditional Oriental medical practitioners also recommend bananas to treat hypertension and to prevent gastric ulcers. The sugars in ripe bananas take 45-60 minutes to be absorbed by the body, giving a sustained release of energy. Which is why bananas are often the chosen energy snack for athletes and why the tennis players at Wimbledon get through 91kg (2001b) of bananas per day during the Open Championship fortnight. The soluble fibre in ripe bananas is good for both constipation and diarrhoea but, ironically, unripe bananas contain resistant starches, which have not yet been converted to sugars, and which cannot be digested in the small intestine, leading to them fermenting in the large intestine and causing wind. High in potassium, the average banana contains 451 mg - a full quarter of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Potassium is essential to body fluid balance. This can prevent cramps and is important for normal blood pressure and heart function, a very useful weapon in the prevention of heart attacks and stroke. In a recent study, patients being treated for high blood pressure who were put on a high potassium diet, were able to either dramatically reduce or even eliminate their medication. Also, it has been found that those taking diuretics, especially for the treatment of high blood pressure, or people who have been suffering from chronic diarrhoea, should eat a banana or two a day in order to replace the potassium which is literally washed away through their system. Bananas are also a good source of vitamin B6, providing more than 25% of the daily requirement, together with about 15% of a non-smokers requirement for vitamin C. Vitamin B6 is a natural immune system booster and helps the body to convert and use proteins and fats and, with the vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, helps to fight infections. Investigations are still under way on the effects of bananas on the lining of the stomach. There have been claims that they stimulate cell and mucous production, thus thickening and strengthening the surface, helping to heal existing ulcers and staving off new ones. Apparently, the jury is still out on this, though it is generally agreed that a banana will act as an antacid and counter indigestion and heartburn, and that a ripe banana is one of the few foodstuffs least likely to trigger an allergic reaction. And all for just 95 kcalories! On the 'feelgood factor' side, the fruit releases dopanine and seratonin, two chemicals hugely enjoyed by the brain, a fact which led a hopeful few in the 1960’s, (when experimentation in such things seemed to be at a peak), to try smoking dried banana skins. A recent innovation in household stores and catalogues has been the banana tree which, at first glance may seem a silly idea, but actually is the best way to keep the ethylene gas, which causes fruit to ripen, from spoiling the other fruit in your bowl. On the other hand, this process can be turned to advantage when a hard avocado or bowl of home-grown, green tomatoes need to be ripened speedily.