Bananas

History & Origins

Bananas are actually berries, but strawberries aren’t — this makes bananas one of the biggest berries in the world!

The first bananas were grown over 7,000 years ago in Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia and Indonesia!

Early bananas had lots of hard seeds inside them, unlike the sweet seedless bananas we enjoy today!

Portuguese sailors brought the first bananas to the Americas in the 16th century!

The banana we eat today is called the Cavendish banana, named after William Cavendish who grew them in his greenhouse in England in 1834!

Before the 1950s, people ate a different kind of banana called the Gros Michel, which was wiped out by a banana disease!

The word “banana” comes from the Arabic word “banan,” which means “finger”!

Bananas were first sold individually wrapped in foil at the 1876 Philadelphia World’s Fair for 10 cents each!

Science & Making

Bananas don’t grow on trees — they grow on plants that are actually giant herbs!

A banana plant can grow up to 25 feet (8 meters) tall in just 9 months!

Bananas grow in giant clusters called “hands” because the individual bananas look like fingers!

A single banana cluster, commonly referred to as a “bunch,” can have up to 200 bananas!

Bananas release a gas called ethylene that helps other fruits ripen faster!

Bananas glow blue under black light because of a special change in their peel as they ripen! This happens when chlorophyll, the green part of plants, breaks down and creates glowing compounds.

Bananas curve because they grow towards the sun!

Wild bananas are full of hard seeds and aren’t very tasty!

Banana plants can only produce fruit once in their lifetime!

The inside of a banana peel can be used to polish leather shoes!

Ingredients & Nutrition

One medium banana contains about 105 calories!

Bananas are 75% water!

A single banana provides 12% of your daily potassium needs!

Bananas contain three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose, and glucose — combined with fiber.

Green bananas contain a special fiber called resistant starch that’s good for your gut health!

Bananas have more potassium than apples, oranges, and grapes combined!

The inside of a banana peel is rich in antioxidants and can help reduce swelling!

Bananas are naturally fat-free and cholesterol-free!

One banana provides about 10% of your daily fiber needs!

Global Varieties

There are more than 1,000 different types of bananas in the world!

Red bananas taste slightly like raspberries!

Blue Java bananas taste like vanilla ice cream and are naturally blue-colored!

Baby bananas, also called Lady Finger bananas, are only 3 inches (8 cm) long!

Some bananas in Southeast Asia are bright pink inside!

Cooking bananas, called plantains, are used like potatoes in many countries!

Japanese farmers have created bananas (Mongee banana) with edible peels!

Some wild bananas are orange or dark red on the outside!

There’s a type of banana in Hawaii that tastes like apple pie!

Fun Food Facts

As of July 30, 2024, the fastest time to eat a banana without using hands is 8.57 seconds, achieved by Abdul Salim P. in Manjeri, Kerala, India.

As of 2017, the world’s largest banana split was 8-kilometer-long (4.97 miles)!

Americans eat an average of 27 pounds (12 kg) of bananas per person each year!

Over 100 billion bananas are eaten around the world every year!

India grows more bananas than any other country in the world!

As of 2001, the largest bunch of bananas ever grown had 473 individual bananas!

A new banana plant can grow from just a piece of stem!

Bananas are the most popular fruit in the United States!

There’s a banana museum in California with over 25,000 banana-related items!

Modern & Popular Culture

Banana bread became super popular during the 2020 lockdowns when everyone started baking at home!

The song “Yes, We Have No Bananas” was a huge hit in 1923!

There’s a popular math problem called the “banana equivalent dose” that measures radiation!

Scientists use bananas to study how other fruits ripen!

Banana peels are being used to make eco-friendly water filters!