History Of The Banana

History Of The Banana

While we know that banana is a very delicious and nutritive fruit which is very beneficial for us, not many of us may know about the history of bananas, or where did these fruits originate from.

Here is a brief about the history of the banana fruit.Though the exact date of origin of the banana is not known, the history of the banana dates back to as early as 327 BC when Alexander the Great tasted this fruit in India. In 650 AD, the Islamic conquerors came across this fruit and brought it to Madagascar from where it spread to the African mainland and further to the Canary Islands. But this fruit was first brought to the US in the late 1800s when Captain Baker bought 160 unripe bunches of bananas with him to New Jersey from Jamaica. Here he sold these bunches to the farmers to enable them to start banana plantations, and gradually the banana made its way into the lives of the American families, initially as a dessert which later went on to become a staple diet. 

In those days, the banana was the only fruit, apart from oranges, that was available in the winter months. It may sound a bit strange, but since bananas were new in the United States there was actually an instruction booklet about the different ways of eating bananas. Over a period of time, bananas became so popular that they became a part of the daily diet of a worker and also a daily item in a child’s lunchbox. Today, an average American consumes around 25 pounds of bananas annually.

More Articles :

History Of The Banana