Just a brief sayso here - my many ideas for posts to Culinary Heritage are on ice due to severe time constraints - to draw attention to this wonderful story. There is so much to say about bananas; Nicola Twilley's illustrated story is a fantastic portrait, touching on chemistry, culinary history, geopolitics and more while keeping a focus on a man whose life's work involves bananas. Here it is: http://www.ediblegeography.com/spaces-of-banana-control/
I remember as a very small child my mom singing the Chiquita Banana Radio jingle. And it could be a trick of memory, or declining sensory abilities, but I recall that bananas used to taste and smell better, and had thinner skins. Does not seem possible I ate Gros Michel bananas in the early sixties, but maybe; more likely the Cavendish variety came from a different country and/or soil. Still, they're great and have remarkable nutritional, baking, and physical properties. I'd long been aware of the heat generated by boxes of bananas at work, but had not realized that this energy was of subject of interest of HVAC engineers (they are also more radioactive than other fruits)!
I plan to enjoy more from the Edible Geography Blog, loaded as it is with great writing about food and hope this recommendation is appreciated.
Rachel
