Author: Lorraine Wade

But then a fungus known as Fusarium wilt, or Panama disease, rapidly infected entire plantations, and caused a global collapse in the banana trade. The industry quickly found a replacement, a banana resistant to Panama disease, called the Cavendish. What happened to original bananas? For decades the most-exported and therefore most important banana in the […]

A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa. Banana (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Monocots (unranked): Commelinids Order: Zingiberales Is banana a tree or a plant? Bananas are both a fruit and not a fruit. While the banana plant is […]

The banana plant is called a ‘banana tree’ in popular use, but it’s technically regarded as a herbaceous plant (or ‘herb’), not a tree, because the stem does not contain true woody tissue. Why banana plant is not a tree? While the banana plant is colloquially called a banana tree, it’s actually an herb distantly […]

How Bananas Are Grown. Banana plants are often mistaken for trees or palms – they are actually herbs. The banana is a perennial plant that replaces itself. Bananas do not grow from a seed but from a bulb or rhizome, and it takes 9 to 12 months from sowing a banana bulb to harvesting the […]

Banana evolved in the humid tropical regions of S.E. Asia with India as one of its centres of origin. Modern edible varieties have evolved from the two species – Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana and their natural hybrids, originally found in the rain forests of S.E. Is banana a Indian fruit? Robusta is one of […]

Plus, they can make good houseplants with enough light, though they typically don’t bear fruit indoors. Banana trees generally have a fast growth rate and should be planted in the spring. How to Grow and Care for a Banana Tree. Common Names Banana tree, plantain tree Family Musaceae Plant Type Herbaceous, perennial What is a […]

Bananas are the most popular fruit in the world. They are believed to come from Southeast Asia, but the name “banana” comes from Africa: it’s derived from banan, which is the Arabic word for “finger.” And while you’re probably most accustomed to the common yellow banana, there are many different varieties. How did the banana […]

To be clear, the potassium in bananas emit antimatter particles (positrons), but bananas don’t “contain” antimatter for more than (WAG) a nanosecond or so. Do bananas make dark matter? For example, bananas produce antimatter, releasing one positron—the antimatter equivalent of an electron—about every 75 minutes. This occurs because bananas contain a small amount of potassium-40, […]

This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood, and generally make you feel happier. Are bananas good for depression? Bananas. Bananas are a tasty and convenient snack, and bananas help depression. That’s because the fruit contains serotonin, an essential […]

They’re full important nutrients, but eating too many could end up doing more harm than good. Too much of any single food may contribute to weight gain and nutrient deficiencies. One to two bananas per day is considered a moderate intake for most healthy people. How many bananas are eaten each year? 100 billion bananasAccording […]

Culinary use Cooking with banana peel is common place in Southeast Asian, Indian and Venezuelan cuisine where the peel of bananas and plantains is used in recipes. In April 2019, a vegan pulled pork recipe using banana peel by food blogger Melissa Copeland aka The Stingy Vegan went viral. Do other countries eat banana peels? […]

A vendor displays bananas at his stall in Somalia. Eating bananas with a meal is such an ingrained part of Somali culture that it even provided material for a sad spoof of a Donald Trump tweet. Which country eats banana with everything? As with many other cultures, Somali food is eaten with your right hand. […]

Bananas produce a natural plant hormone called ethylene that ripens the fruit. It works by converting starch into sugar, which gives the bananas that soft texture and sweet taste. They start off bright green in color and continue to ripen over time—gradually becoming yellow, then yellow with spots, and finally brown. Can bananas be too […]