Banana: A Global History

Edible

by Lorna Piatti-Farnell

Sweet but starchy, soft but toothsome—and so easy to peel they just beg to be devoured—bananas are one of our favorite foods, found everywhere from gas station counters to Michelin star restaurants. Yet for as versatile and ubiquitous as this fruit is today, its history is a turbulent one, entangled in colonial domination, capitalist exploitation, sexual politics, and even horrific violence. Delving into the banana’s past, this book traces the complex circumstances of global modernity that perfectly aligned to grant us, often at tremendous costs, a treat we all now take for granted.  
            Beginning with the banana’s origins in New Guinea, Lorna Piatti-Farnell follows its pathways to South East Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, binding together a millennium of history into one digestible bunch. Focusing especially on the banana’s recent past, she shows how it rose from a regional staple to a global commodity, on par with coffee and sugar. She examines the ways it has been advertised, sold, and incorporated into popular culture, moving from nineteenth-century medical manuals to cookbooks, songs, slapstick comedy, and problematic figures like Miss Chiquita. Wide-ranging but pocket-sized, Banana is a culinary and cultural account of a peculiar little fruit that is at once the icon of exoticism and one of the most familiar foods we eat. 

Genres: Food, History, Nonfiction, Food and Drink

176 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2016

Reviews

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The banana, humble and oh so common, is one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world. It is also one of the oldest fruits to have been cultivated, and it has had an impact on human society, culture, economy and politics like few other crops have.

In Banana: A Global History, Lorna Piatti-Farnell sets out to examine the banana from different angles, from the most basic information about it (its scientific name, the fact that it is technically a berry, and the plant it grows on is a herb), to the impact the banana has had on popular culture. In the process, she delves into many aspects of the banana, even concepts (like the popular slapstick trope of slipping on a banana peel) which I had thought might be too far-fetched.

I enjoyed this book; it was chockfull of interesting information (I hadn’t known, for instance, that Japanese bananas are grown primarily for their fibre, and that the snow banana is grown for its root, not so much for its fruit). How and when bananas were first cultivated, how they made their way around the world, why banana cultivars are prone to diseases that can endanger an entire cultivar. How the trade developed, and how it turned into one of the most controversial and unethical trades of the past couple of centuries (the ‘banana wars’ and the infamous ‘banana massacre’ included).

And, the many many ways in which bananas appear in popular culture: in movies, in song and dance. In the art of Andy Warhol and the fashion of Prada, as the superhero Bananaman and as Miss Chiquita. As a part of the costume and/or props of Josephine Baker and Carmen Miranda…

Informative, interesting, and readable. Plus, the book has lots of photographs, all the way from paintings (Gauguin among them) and photos of bananas, banana-workers, banana-sellers, and banana-eaters, to banana-shaped props, iconic bananas in popular culture, and more. Plus, right at the end of the book are a handful of recipes centred round bananas.

If you are interested in food history, definitely worth reading.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most fascinating book I've ever read about a fruit I don't like.

[Randolph Breschini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bananas 🍌

I’ve spent nearly half of my career working in, around, and with bananas 🍌 Southeast Asia, North Asia, South Asia, The Middle East, USA, Europe, and Sub Saharan Africa. I’ve studied bananas growing in India, the Philippines, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique 🙏🏻🍌

This quick read about banana history brought back many fond memories🙏🏻

I loved working in the banana industry…many of my friends are former colleagues 🙏🏻🍍

[S D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this global history of bananas not particularly global. It was very American-centric. Give me more about India, the largest banana producer. I also think there could have been more information added, although appreciate the likelihood of a page limit. I was pleased that Bananas in Pyjamas got a mention; it is a triumph of television.

AMENDMENT:
So many song lyrics yet no mention of Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl this shit is bananas b a n a n a s. 0/10.

[Kamilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about bananas. The Edible Series is a great series to learn more about your food. If you are in the industry like I am, it gives you some great insights into the history of the banana from it first sightings to its cultural aspects.
Now, I'm about to start the pineapple one.