Nourishments—

Monkeying Around With Bananas

By Nancy K. Crevier

One of my kids’ favorite thing about visiting Stew Leonard’s in Danbury years ago was the chance to dance with the Chiquita banana. Decked out in her Carmina Burana fruit-laden hat and swaying to her catchy tune, the mechanized Latin fruit enticed them to do a little mamba in the aisle while I grabbed the fruit and vegetables we had come to the distinctive supermarket to get. It made them happy and if the banana lady inspired them to down a couple of extra bananas that week, so much the better.

A tropical fruit that originated in Malaysia, the banana plant is actually not a tree or bush at all, but a humongous herb. Ten to fourteen “hands,” each consisting of 18 to 20 bananas each, grow on a stem. The bananas are picked unripened and quickly shipped to their destination within 20 days, stocked in special ripening rooms at a temperature no higher than 14.5 degrees centigrade for optimum ripening.

 Portuguese sailors brought the banana, thumb-sized at the time, to the Caribbean and Central America in the early 1500s. It was not until the latter part of the 1800s, though, that the banana was introduced to America. Hawkers of the new delight at a Pennsylvania fair in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence offered the creamy fruit wrapped in foil, with the suggestion that it be served roasted or baked.

We know now, of course, that not only is the banana delicious hot, but contained in its own handy yellow wrapper, it makes a quick and tidy raw snack, as well. Today, bananas are America’s most consumed fresh fruit, with each American downing an average of 28 pounds per person each year. It’s enough to make you go ape.

There is yet more to go bananas over: a medium banana contains only 105 calories and is a source of potassium, manganese, iron, fiber, and B vitamins. Known for its digestive properties, the sweet banana is often one of baby’s first solid foods and is a great snack choice for athletes looking for sports endurance.

There are not too many who profess to disliking the banana, but even the most ardent banana hater can find some use for the curvaceous fruit. Banana skins are purported to be a solution for the itchy irritation of mosquito bites. Rubbing the bite with the inside of the skin is said to reduce swelling and scratchiness. (I have to wonder, though, if the sweet scent of the banana on the skin isn’t going to attract a whole drove of mosquitoes….) Folklore also suggests that the cure for a wart is a banana skin placed yellow side out on the wart and taped in place for several days. And while you wait for the wart to go away, you get a healthy snack, too. It’s a win-win situation.

No need to monkey around. Grab a banana and enjoy the benefits today.

Banana Pistachio Soup

1 small onion, diced

1 to 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

2 Tbs unsalted butter

¼ C cream sherry

4 large bananas, sliced

1½ Tbs lemon juice

½ C heavy cream

3 C light cream

1 tsp cinnamon

Dash nutmeg

1½ C natural, unsalted

  pistachios, shelled

Process pistachios in processor with steel blade until finely chopped, but not powdered. Set aside.

Sauté onions and ginger in butter until onions are translucent. Add sherry and cook five minutes, uncovered.

Add bananas, lemon and mash.

In a medium pan, scald the creams and spices and add to bananas.

Puree half of the soup in batches in the blender and return to pot.

Stir pistachios into banana base, add a pinch of salt, and reheat  slowly on a very low heat.

Adjust seasonings to taste.

This rich soup makes a wonderful starter to an Indian meal. A mild vegetable or chicken stock can be substituted for half of the light cream for a slightly less rich  soup, if desired.