National Banana Bread Day:

Celebrated annually on 23rd February, National banana Day is observed to recognize the aromatic banana bread. If you haven’t tried banana bread you are missing out on one of the delightful yet simple dishes that man has ever known.

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Related: Other National Days Celebrated on February 23rd:

National Dog Biscuit Day

National Tile Day

National Toast Day

Why Banana Bread Day?

Today, banana bread is no stranger to an average American. Banana bread is a moist and sweet dish made of fully ripe mashed banana. Most of the banana bread recipes skip yeast and the resulting cake-like appearance is extremely appetizing. Banana bread variations with raisins, nuts, and chocolate chip are some of the favorite baked goods in America. Banana being the core ingredient and the star of this recipe was not grown indigenously. The tropical fruit found its route into the lands and hearts of Americans through the sea.

The sailors carried the golden fruit from West Africa to the American land. Without much ado, commercial import of bananas followed suit. Captain Lorenzo Baker brought the bananas from Jamaica and started selling them in Jersey City. He began the Boston Fruit Company after his successful ventures. Around the same time a businessman, Minor Cooper Keith made use of the railroad to export bananas grown in the plantations of Costa Rica.

Transporting the tropical fruit became an ordeal as the bananas would spoil by the time they reached their destination. The advent of refrigeration came to its rescue and by the early 1900s bananas were available for the common man in the US. Though banana was only given the status of fruit at its introduction, several cookbooks featured its possible use as an ingredient in bread and muffins.

It is speculated that the inclusion of the overly ripe bananas in bread would have originally come from a resourceful housewife who didn’t want the fruit to go to the bins. During the Great depression period, money was hard to come by and people were forced to use overly ripe and even rotten food items. The popularity of banana bread is seen to have become multifold during this period.

Many cookbooks were instrumental in popularizing banana bread throughout the years. In 1927, a wholesale produce company, Unifruit gave a free cookbook titled s “From the Tropics to Your Table” that featured banana muffins and bread. In Pilsbury’s 1933 cookbook Balanced Recipes, the banana bread recipe was included. Another cookbook released in 1950, known as the Chiquita Banana Recipe Book, furthered the status of bananas and brought the fruit to the limelight. Banana was no longer a sidekick that was used to garnish cakes and dishes but became the crux of the dish adding a lovely flavor.

By the 1930s baking soda and baking powder were made readily available by the mass production endeavors of manufacturers like the Royals. These leavening agents were available nationwide for the first time. Coupled with the availability of bananas and chemical agents, banana bread gained popularity in the culinary world as a quick bread variety. The absence of yeast gave banana bread the appearance of a cake and was often referred to as tea cake due to the high sugar content.

The dish was tagged as bread probably because of how it was served. It was often sliced and buttered as opposed to cakes which were usually frosted. Packed with the goodness of bananas, banana bread soon became a breakfast staple. The sugar used in the recipe can be substituted with raw honey or stevia to create an ultra-healthy, scrumptious dish.

Banana bread is the comfort food you can resort to any time of the year. For many individuals, the intoxicating aroma of the banana bread is a trip down the memory lane, reminiscent of their grandmothers’ or mother’s homemade banana bread that would brighten up their day. If you grew up eating homemade banana bread your childhood would have been nothing short of awesome.

How Can We Observe National Banana Day:

• Get Baking

You obviously cannot celebrate National Banana Bread without a loaf of banana bread! So dawn your chef hat and apron and bake your favorite variety of Banana bread. You can also create a new recipe by experimenting with various ingredients. But don’t forget to add the banana!

• Party With Banana Bread Loaves and Lovers

Organize a banana bread party by asking your friends to bring in their favorite banana bread varieties. You will be surprised to see the numerous varieties and recipes that people can come with simple ingredients like banana and flour.

• Donate

Gift loaves of banana bread to nearby nursing homes and non-profit organizations that benefit from home-cooked food.

• Go Bananas on Social Media

Share your pictures and posts of your favorite banana bread recipes on social media using #NationalBananaBreadDay and #BananaBreadDay.

Interesting Facts On National Banana Bread Day:

Few Facts Related To National Banana Bread Day

• The banana content in the bread can promote heart health by stabilizing blood pressure and regulating the functions of the heart because of the potassium content.

• Banana bread can be made within an hour as baking soda and powder are used instead of yeast.

• Due to the abundance of potassium in banana, it is considered to be radioactive.

• Around 30 pounds of Bananas are consumed yearly, by an average American.

• The Vienna Model bakery was one of the first bakeries to produce banana bread in the US. The recipe involved the use of banana flour, made by drying fruit strips and grinding them.

• During the world war, the excess bananas that were left out in Hawaii were incorporated into bread to prevent wastage. Its export was hampered due to the limited availability of ships.
• Banana bread is the bread recipe with the maximum number of online queries.

History Of National Banana Bread Day:

The history of National Banana Day remains unknown. However, that does not hinder us from celebrating this healthy, delightful treat.