SOME FRUITS OF HAWAII 



9 



BANANA 



(Musa sapient um) 



Description: Bananas, which are now one of the best known fruits 

 throughout the world, were classed as a luxury and known to compara- 

 tively few people in the United States until late in the 19th century. 

 Because they are so well known, a detailed description of the fruit seems 

 unnecessary. The yellow cylindrical fruit, with the tough outer peel 

 that acts as a prophylactic cover for the enclosed pulp, is a common 

 sight in most parts of the world. Bananas grow in a bunch consisting 

 of a number of clusters called "hands," each of which contains from 

 5 to 20 bananas. 



History: The early history of the banana is closely interwoven with 

 Eastern mythology (15). The legend that the serpent which tempted 

 Eve in the garden of Eden (Paradise) hid in a bunch of bananas in- 

 fluenced the classifiers to name the fruit Musa paradisiaca (fruit of 

 paradise) and Musa sapientum (fruit of knowledge). The fact that 

 the fruit was called "apple of paradise" or "Adam's fig" before the 

 word "banana" was adopted from an African Congo tribe also illus- 

 trates its connections with ancient mythology. The word "banana" 

 seems to have been used originally for only those varieties which are 

 eaten raw and the term "plantain" for those which were edible after 

 cooking. At present there is no clear differentiation. (45, p. 3) 



When the early Polynesians migrated to Hawaii from the islands 

 to the south, they undoubtedly brought with them banana plants in the 

 form of bulblike rhizomes. These were planted in the mountain valleys 

 where they now grow wild and were, until the introduction during the 

 19th century of varieties such as the Brazilian, Chinese or Cavendish 

 and the Apple, the only kind to be had in Hawaii. The Gros Michel 

 variety (locally called Bluefields) was not introduced into Hawaii until 

 1903. Some of the favorite Hawaiian varieties are the Maiamaoli, the 

 Popoula, and the Iholena — which represent the three groups of Ha- 

 waiian bananas (45, p. 24 ). 



More detailed information regarding the banana may be obtained 

 from a previous bulletin of the Hawaii Experiment Station (45). 



Nutritive value: Because bananas are an economical and nutritious 

 food and are plentiful and available everywhere in Hawaii, greater use 

 should be made of them. 



In the half-ripe stage, one-half to one-third of the total carbohydrate 

 may be in the form of starch. But when fully ripe and, in the case of 

 many varieties, if the yellow skin is well flecked with brown spots, or 

 better yet when the skin is entirely brown, almost no starch remains and 

 practically all the carbohydrate is in the form of sugars (12, p. 1). 



Unripe bananas may cause digestive disturbances, but in the fully 

 ripe stage they are readily digested and have been used successfully 

 combined with milk in infant feeding (24). There is no reason why 

 bananas, if they are cooked or if they are used only in the fully ripe 



