Banana Facts
- Each banana plant is an exact clone of the other banana plants, therefore a single virus could wipe out every banana plant in the world, something that scientists are working on daily to try and prevent.
- The word banana comes from the Arabic word ‘bana’ which simply translates to ‘finger’.
- India is the world’s largest producer of bananas, with banana production yielding 16.5 million tonnes in 2002.
- Records of bananas go back to ancient times, with many believing bananas were the first fruit cultivated by man.
- On average, Americans consume 28 pounds of banana were year, that is roughly 105 average sized bananas per year.
- It doesn’t just happen in cartoons, people do slip and injure themselves on banana peels. In 2001, 300 British people suffered banana related injuries.
- Banana is a fantastic hangover cure, as it has a calming effect on the stomach and it helps to replenish blood sugar levels.
- There is approximately 1000 different types of bananas but it is the Cavendish variety that is most popular all around the world.
- Since the bananas introduction to the United States they have only gone missing from consumer’s shelves once, during 1941 there was a shipping embargo due to the Second World War so bananas weren’t able to be imported.
- If you like bananas and you like beer, then visit Eastern Africa as you can actually buy banana beer.
- Bananas weren’t always known as bananas, during the 15th and 16th centuries they were known throughout Europe as the ‘Indian Fig’.
- Whilst most people cringe at the thought of eating banana peel, it is actually edible so if you’re ever stuck on a desert island with just a handful of bananas, don’t forget to eat the peels.
- In the story of the Garden of Eden, an apple was the forbidden fruit but in the Hinduism it is actually the banana that is the forbidden fruit.
- It only takes two average sized bananas to sustain someone through an intense 90 minute workout, one of the many reasons why bananas are so popular with athletes.
- Globally, people spend over £10 billion a year on buying bananas, making it the most popular fruit worldwide.
- Not only are bananas extremely nutritionally beneficial, but regular consumption can also help to prevent kidney cancer.
- Whilst the prices of bananas have dramatically fallen in Britain, in the US the prices have risen by 8% since 2006 and the prices will probably continue to rise.