Bananas rank among best of fruits

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate." Thus begins the biblical account of the fall from grace of Adam and Eve.

Many of us think that the fruit of the tree of knowledge referred to in the story of the Garden of Eden was an apple, but speculation has centered around a variety of other fruits as well, including pomegranates, quinces, tomatoes, figs, and oranges. Islamic tradition has it that the forbidden fruit was actually a banana and, consequently, it is said that after their fall Adam and Eve covered themselves with banana leaves rather than fig leaves.

Well, why not? The banana is about the closest thing there is to the perfect fruit. Though low in calories (typically around 90), it is high in nutrition. The only staple food that is not a grain, it is an especially good source of vitamin C, fiber and potassium. No wonder an old saying has it that "a banana is as good as a steak."

At one time bananas were an exotic luxury in North America. As Waverly Root and Richard de Rochemont note, had it not been for the simultaneous development of transportation and refrigeration, they might still be. Back around the time of the Civil War, for example, when bananas were all but unknown in this country, they were sporadically shipped to New Orleans from the West Indies, wrapped individually in tinfoil, as befits a precious commodity, and sold for a dollar apiece.

Though bananas wouldn't be officially introduced to Americans until 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, they were already well known in other parts of the world and had been for a long time. In fact, some historians maintain that bananas were the first fruit farmed by man.

A treat from Malaysia

Since there are so many varieties of bananas found in Malaysia, it's likely that they originated there thousands of years ago. They then traveled to India, where in 327 B.C. they were discovered by Alexander the Great and brought to the Western world. As early as 200 A.D. they had reached China and eventually they arrived in Madagascar. Before long they spread across tropical Africa from east to west. In the 15th century Portuguese sailors took them from Guinea to the Canary Islands and from there in 1516 the Franciscan monk Tomas de Berlanga brought them to Santo Domingo. They spread so quickly and extensively throughout Central and South America that later explorers actually thought they were native to the region.

Lorenzo Baker, the captain of the schooner Telegraph, began the banana trade to the United States in 1870 when he brought a couple of bunches from Jamaica to Boston and discovered how profitable their sale could be. Today bananas are the most popular fruit in America. We import more than 4 million tons of them every year. The average person eats some 33 pounds annually. It appears we've become a Banana Republic after all.

Grilled Banana Split

The banana split was invented at Strickler's Drug Store in Pennsylvania in 1904. This contemporary version adapted from Elizabeth Karmel, who has been dubbed the "Queen of the Grill," makes a great ending to a summer night's cookout.

Ingredients:

4 firm, ripe bananas

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

8 scoops vanilla ice cream

1 cup fudge sauce

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

whipped cream

Maraschino cherries

Directions:

Without peeling, slice bananas in half lengthwise and cut each half in two to produce four pieces in all. Combine sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle on cut sides of bananas, and let stand for five minutes. Place bananas cut side down on grate over a charcoal fire and cook for two minutes over direct low heat until grill marks appear. Turn and cook on other side for five minutes until skins pull away from the banana. Remove skins and place four banana pieces in each of four bowls. Top each serving with two scoops of ice cream. Warm sauce and ladle 1/4 cup over each serving. Sprinkle with nuts and whipped cream and top with a cherry. Serves 4.

Listen to A Harte Appetite at 8:49 a.m. Fridays on KRCU, 90.9 FM. Write A Harte Appetite, c/o the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699 or by e-mail to tharte@semissourian.com.