Banana

• Archaeological evidence suggests that  banana cultivation started during 8000 to 5000 BCE in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea
• In 600 BCE, the banana is mentioned for the first time in written history in Buddhist texts
• Alexander the Great discovered the taste of the banana in the valleys of India in 327 BCE
• If to believe unverified facts, it was in the 3rd Century B.C bananas have been carried to the Mediterranean region, followed by Europe in the 10th Century A.D.
• Islamic texts suggests that prophet Muhammad was familiar with bananas and there are also numerous references to it in Islamic texts (such as poems and hadiths) beginning in the ninth century
• The existence of an organized banana plantation could be found in China in 200 AD
• Antonius Musa, Roman emperor Octavius Augustus’s personal doctor, was credited for promoting cultivation of the exotic African fruit from 63 to 14 B.C.
• In 1502 AD, banana plants were transported from the West African coast to South America by a group of Portuguese mariners
• In the 17th century, Its Guinean native name,which later became ‘banana’ in English, was first found in print
• In 1836 A.D., the yellow sweet banana is a mutant strain of the green and red cooking bananas, discovered in 1836 by Jamaican Jean Francois Poujot
• With the advent of refrigeration technologies coupled with rapid transport transport systems, bananas have become widely available by the 20th century.

Botanical Description
Banana plants are fast-growing herbaceous perennials that grow at 6 to 7.6 meters (20-25 feet) tall, from a corm. The banana has an underground stem with adventitious roots. Below is the brief botanical description of the banana plant:

General Culture
Banana cultivation requires the following culture:

• Bluggoe :
  Known with many other local names is a cooking banana especially resistant to Panama disease and Sigatoka. This variety bears a few distinctly separated hands of large, almost straight, starchy fruits, and is of great importance in Burma, Thailand, Southern India, East Africa, the Philippines, Samoa, and Grenada.
• Ice Cream : 
  ‘Ice Cream’ Banana of Hawaii (‘Cenizo’ of Central America and the West Indies; ‘Krie’ of the Philippines), is a relative of ‘Bluggoe’, and is eaten raw or cooked.
• Mysore : 
  It is also known as ‘Fillbasket’ and ‘Poovan’, which is the most important banana type in India, constituting 70% of the total crop. This fruit is also widely cultivated in Malayasia, Thailand, Ceylon and Burma.
• ‘Salembale’ and ‘Rasabale’ :
  These are the other two popular varieties of bananas cultivated mainly in southern states of India.
• ‘Silk’, ‘Silk Fig’, or ‘Apple’ (‘Manzana’ in Spanish):
  It is one of the most popular dessert bananas of the tropics and subtropics.
• ‘Red’ Red Spanish’, ‘Red Cuban’, ‘Colorado’, or ‘Lal Kela’ Banana:
  This variety is primarily cultivated in India and subsequently introduced into all banana growing regions.
• ‘Fehi’ or ‘Fei’:
  This Polynesia variety of banana is distinguished by erect bunches and the purplish-red or reddish-yellow sap of the plants which is being used as ink and for dyeing. These plants are often grown as ornamental in Hawaii.

• Reducing depression
• Anemia
• Restoring a normal bowel function
• Constipation and diarrhea
• Eyesight protection
• Strengthening the bones
• Healthy kidney
• Blood pressure
• Heart problems
• Treating heart-burn
• Curing a hangover
• Overcoming nervous disorders
• Reducing morning sickness
• Improving nerve function, and many more.

• Banana Pudding Recipe :
  It is a pretty common dessert in the Southern U.S. prepared by using bananas, vanilla wafers and pudding. This dish  is sometimes served with sprinkled meringue or  whipped cream on top
• Banana Split Recipe : 
  This dish is again from the family of dessert, made with a banana cut lengthwise (hence the name), topped with ice-cream and whipped cream
• Banana Bread Recipe :
  Banana bread is a type of sweet bread which uses mashed bananas as the main ingredient. It is usually baked in a rectangular pan, and does not use yeast as a leavening agent, but rather baking soda
• Red Snapper With Pecan-Banana Butter :
  This dish contains Caribbean features banana fritters flavored with , a dish that consists of chunks of bananas dipped in flour, then into a rich batter. A popular dish in the Caribbean features banana fritters flavored with , a dish that consists of chunks of bananas dipped in flour, then into a rich butter.

• Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
• Bananas con Mousse de Duraznos – Bananas with Peach Mousse
• Coconut Ice Cream with Brandied Dried Plum and Banana Compote
• Banana Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
• Banana-Nut Pancakes – dairy free
• Banana Coconut Cream Pie
• Low Fat Low Sugar Banana Bread
• Banana Fritters
• Low Fat Banana Oatmeal Cookies
• Banana Nut Coffee Cake
• Low Fat Banana Bread with sugar-free version
• Banana Bread Pudding
• Banana Muffins egg-free dairy-free
• Banana Blueberry Muffins
• Banana Oatmeal Cookies
• Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
• Cajun Banana Smoothie, and many more.

• Choose brightly colored bananas that look good and have their characteristic aroma
• Prefer fruit with really yellow skin and small brown spots, that looks firm and with no dull or gray tones
• Feel the bananas to make sure they are plump and firm
• Carefully read the instructions and labels while purchasing packaged fruits from retail stores.