Banana bread
 Pale banana bread cake made with unripe bananas and molasses | |
| Type | Sweet bread |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Bananas, wheat, water, sugar |
| Variations | Banana raisin bread, banana nut bread, chocolate chip banana bread |
Banana bread is a type of cake made from mashed bananas.[1] It is often a moist, sweet, cake-like quick bread; however there are some banana bread recipes that are traditional-style raised breads.
History
Banana bread first became a standard feature of American cookbooks with the popularization of baking soda and baking powder in the 1930s. It appeared in Pillsbury's 1933 Balanced Recipes cookbook,[2] and later gained more acceptance with the release of the original Chiquita Banana's Recipe Book in 1950.[3]
National Banana Bread day is February 23.[4] Bananas appeared in the US in the 1870s and it took a while for them to appear as ingredient items for desserts.[5] The modern banana bread recipe[6] began being published in cookbooks around the 1930s and its popularity was greatly helped by the introduction of baking powder on the market. Some food historians believe banana bread was a byproduct of the Great Depression as resourceful housewives did not wish to throw away overripe bananas (as they were still a costly item to purchase), others believe the modern banana bread was developed in corporate kitchens to promote flour and baking soda products. It could also be a combination of both theories, insofar as being developed in a corporate kitchen to promote flour and baking soda products, as well as marketed as a method to make use of overripe bananas.[7]
Variations
- Banana raisin bread
- Banana nut bread (often featuring chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans or almonds)
- Chocolate chip banana bread (featuring chocolate chips)
- Banana bread muffins
- Vegan banana bread (made without eggs or dairy products)
- Blueberry banana bread (or other fruits such as raspberry or orange to add additional flavours)
-
Banana bread without nuts -
Chocolate chip banana bread -
Blueberry banana bread
COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic and whilst people were confined to their homes, many people turned to baking with banana bread soon becoming a global and social phenomenon. In March 2020, Google reported that banana bread and other variations were the number one searched recipes across the US and the world.[8] Many people took to social media to showcase their creations and has since become a common activity in many people's lives due to its simplicity and ease to make.
See also
- Banana cake
- Bánh chuối, a banana cake from Vietnam
- List of American breads
- List of banana dishes
- List of quick breads
- List of sweet breads
- Pumpkin bread
- Zucchini bread
- Carrot bread
References
- ^ Barrowman, John. "Food Recipes-Banana Bread". BBC. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ Ames, Mary Ellis (1933). "1 - Breads". Balanced Recipes. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Pillsbury Flour Mills Company. p. 3.
- ^ "Original Chiquita Banana Bread". Archived from the original on 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
- ^ "American Holidays". statesymbolsusa.org. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ Rodgers, Diana. ""Are We Going Bananas? A Few Thoughts on America's Favorite Fruit."". Sustainable Dish. Sustainable Dish, Inc. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Modern Banana Bread Recipe". foodtolove.com.au. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Banana Bread History and Variations". Archived from the original on 2015-04-27. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
- ^ Li, Shan. "Forget the Sourdough. Everybody's Baking Banana Bread". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
External links
| American breads | |
|---|---|
| Miscellaneous | |
