Are You Eating Your Grandparent’s Bananas: The Great Creamy Banana of Yesteryear

Our grandparents tell us stories about how bananas used to be so creamy and good. But today's bananas that we purchase from grocery stores are not the same bananas. Today it is the Cavendish banana we find in every grocery. Our grandparents were eating Gros Michel bananas. Also referred to as Big Mike or literally Fat Michael. Most people think the Gros Michel bananas are extinct. But that is not true.

Boy eating a bananaPhoto byDa Vinci AI App / Modern Day Foodie

The forgotten, flavorful, and creamy Gros Michel bananas of yesteryear were thought to be lost from diseases. Gros Michel was the biggest-selling banana until the 1950s. It had thick skin that made it resilient to bruises during transport. The Gros Michel banana was first brought from Southeast Asia to the Caribbean Island of Martinique in the 1800s. In 1835, the fruit was brought from Martinique to Jamaica. From then on the Gros Michel bananas were grown on massive plantations in Honduras, Costa Rica, and elsewhere in Central America. But, in the 1950s, Panama Disease hit the variety, causing wilt from the fungus. The fungus wiped out vast tracts of Gros Michel plantations in Central America.

Interesting fact: today, cultivated bananas are almost always seedless and hence sterile, so they are propagated vegetatively (cloned).

By the 1960s, exporters were unable to trade the Gros Michel banana. In steps the Cavendish Banana that we know today. It is a popular belief that the Gros Michel banana is extinct now. But this is not true. It is just not grown for commercial export due to the Panama disease.

Gros Michel BananaPhoto byZwifree, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Gros Michel was so loved that there are efforts to use genetic modification to create a version of the Gros Michel which is resistant to Panama disease. In addition, there have also been successful hybrids of Cavendish and Gros Michel that display resistance to Panama disease. See how to order Gros Michel below.

Some Banana Varieties - Left to right plantains, Red, Latundan, and Cavendish bananas.Photo byTimothy Pilgrim Wikipedia

Finding the Gros Michel Banana

Small-scale farmers are still are still growing the variety. You can also find live plants online to grow the Gros Michel yourself.

• Maimi Fruit: you can preorder the Gros Michel for around $17.
• Gros Michel Plant: Gros Michel Banana Live Plant is around $39.

Have you ever had a Gros Michel? Kindly let us know in the comments.

Cooking Bananas

Bananas that are used in traditional cooking are a group of starchy bananas. These bananas are not eaten raw and are usually referred to as plantains or green bananas. Cooking bananas is a major food staple in West and Central Africa, the Caribbean islands, Central America, and northern South America. Although cooking bananas may be eaten raw, they are commonly prepared either fried, boiled, or processed into flour or dough. Fried ripe plantains have a crispy, caramelized texture, and sweet taste. More and more supermarkets and specialty stores sell plantains. See the recipe below.

Caramelized Fried Plantains

• 2 small ripe plantains
• 2-3 tablespoons oil, high-temperature oil such as canola or vegetable
• table salt, optional

1. Peel 2 small ripe plantains by cutting off both ends and cutting a slit down the side of each plantain.
2. Remove the plantain peel. You may need to use the knife at the edge of each section to help loosen it from the flesh. It does not peel like a normal banana.
3. Cut the peeled plantains into ¼-inch thick slices. Cut diagonally because it provides a larger surface for caramelization.
4. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a nonstick pan. Turn the stove to a medium heat.
5. Add the plantains in batches. Fry the plantains on each side until golden for about 1½ minutes on one side then about 1 minute on the other side.
6. Remove the plantains from the pan and drain on paper towels. If needed, add more oil between frying batches.
7. Optional: sprinkle lightly with fine salt to give a sweet and salty taste.

Do you have any suggestions for ingredients? How do you make this recipe? Kindly let us know in the comments.

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References

• Gros Michel
• Cultivated Bananas
• Cooking Bananas