Donate to Raghavendra Brindavan
Download
Tamil Fonts
|
|
Don't you love bananas? |
Food |
Bit of History
 The banana is mentioned for the first time in history in Buddhist texts 600 years BC. Alexander the Great discovered the taste of the banana in the Indian valleys in 327 BC . The existence of banana plantations could be found in China back in the year 200 AD. In 650 AD, Islamic conquerors brought the banana back to Palestine. The Arabic merchants finally spread the bananas all over Africa. Only in 1502 the Portuguese started the first banana plantation in the Caribbean and in Central America.
Nutri-facts
 The banana is a highly nourishing fruit, contains no fat; and because of its digestive properties, you can eat a banana at any time of the day. Avoid eating a banana before going to bed, as they usually release all the energy an hour or so later, while you will be fast asleep, so, if you are watching your weight, obviously this isn't a good thing to do - because the banana holds 23% of
hydro-carbonate for 0.2% of fat. The cholesterol level is 0,00%; but best of all, 100 grams of banana provides you with the same low calories as 100 grams of yogurt with fruit. The banana is full of proteins, and the sugar provided gives a lot of energy to those practising sports requiring endurance. Also bananas contain magnesium, selenium, iron, a lot of vitamins, and is recommended for salt-free diets because of its low contents in sodium
chloride.
 How do they grow them?
The banana plant is not a tree, but a giant plant of the same family as lilies, orchids and palms.
There are about 400 varieties of bananas. The rhizome is planted and gives a first shoot 3 or 4 weeks later. After 9 to 10 months a bud hangs on the plant. Few days after that, the bud turns red and starts opening. Very soon, the leaves that covered it fall down and a couple of days later, the first banana hands can be seen.
More facts:
- The word banana is derived from the Arabic meaning 'finger'.
- Each banana stem consists of 10 to 14 hands each of them carrying from 18 to 20 bananas.
- The harvest starts when the banana is still green.
- Bananas for domestic consumption are cut green. They can stay green only for about 3 weeks after they are picked. Carefully washed, cut into smaller bunches, called 'clusters', they are then packed in carton boxes, and transported by
refridgerated ships.
(Based on Net resources)
Published on 16th June 2002
|
|
