As a fruit, bananas sure are unusual, not only in taste, texture, colour and shape but also in their history and biology.
What fruit really grew in the Garden of Eden? Scientists believe that bananas – or their antecedents – were the first fruit. In this section of our website, explore the origins and evolution of the banana as we know it today. Follow the intriguing journey of bananas from plantation to peel when you play the online DVD. Discover how many varieties of bananas there are in the world, and how they are a staple food in some countries. Enjoy some of the folklore and fun facts that surround this curious and powerfully natural source of energy for every human being.
Supplies of high quality Australian Bananas from Far North Queensland will increase from the end of September bringing to an end months of pain for banana consumers and growers following the devastation of Cyclone Yasi.
The first banana is believed to have come from either Malaysia or Papua New Guinea.
The earliest recorded appearance of bananas in Australia was in the early to mid 1800s when Chinese migrants brought plants with them from their home provinces to begin life in Australia in Carnarvon, Western Australia.
Bananas have a curious way of capturing everyone’s imagination. They can really play on your mind if you have a sense of humour, a bent for the extraordinary or a passion for trivia.
Today's commercial bananas are scientifically classified into the genus Musa.
Australian bananas are a product of the rain and sunshine of the tropics and sub tropics.
Harvesting a banana crop is the perfect job if you like working outdoors, enjoy physical work and don’t mind getting very wet, very often, during the wet season from November to March.
Bananas were originally marketed in bunches and the leaves were used as padding to minimise the marking and bruising in transit to markets.
Bananas are transported at around 15 degrees Celsius to maintain their “hard green” status en route to the warehouses and ripening facilities.
Bananas are mostly sold either through wholesale markets in Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth or direct to some of the major retailers.
Know a bract from a corm and a rhizome from a sucker? Find out what the various terms relating to the banana really mean.
