duoplicity
469792
34
2
They are too short and stout apparently
Despite this, the EU cannot stop them from being sold in the home country so nearly every shop has them throughout Portugal. They cost about twice as much as imported bananas -- no United Fruit Company slave labor: https://imgur.com/gallery/NmHzPLF -- but have a richer more complex flavor.
https://www.ocean-retreat.com/eat-drink/madeira-fruits-madeira-bananas/
The first banana plants arrived in the 16th century (the Portuguese were explorers).
"Dwarf Cavendish” represents 60% of the cultivated banana area on Madeira. Other species are Robusta (32%), Grand Naine and Gal (8%).
This sticker is iconic in Portugal
It even inspired a Banana Sticker Book!
It's not for sale so I can link it here: https://www.behance.net/gallery/95605805/colection-book-(banana-stickers)
https://www.behance.net/gallery/95605805/colection-book-(banana-stickers)
This is a fruit bowl inspired by the Madeira banana by the iconic Portuguese pottery of Bordello-Pinheiro started by the iconic Portuguese artist, Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (I do not know the reason for the extra "L" in the pottery name though)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Bordalo_Pinheiro#Pottery
My favorites are the cabbage bowls and plates which are also more affordable than the banana fruit bowl which goes for 500-700€ -- the banana "box (next to the bowl) is only 40€ though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Bordalo_Pinheiro#/media/File:Caldas_da_Rainha_Pottery.jpg
Finally, a banana stem cross-section which it turns out is compressed leaves because banana plants are not trees (though they can be as big as trees. Interestingly, "madeira" means "wood" in English
https://www.ocean-retreat.com/eat-drink/madeira-fruits-madeira-bananas/
==
Here's last year's post on the history of worldwide commercial bananas:
https://imgur.com/gallery/NmHzPLF
OregonComputerGuy
That's bananas
drduffer
Story time:
I live in Houston and a year or so after moving here I became a roommate with a friend of mine. He had a nice home with a volunteer banana plant right next to his kitchen door he hated, so I set about removing it one day.
Cut it down right to the ground.
A week later it was growing back, but it was small and no longer impinged on the door so it got a reprieve.
Fast forward a year and again it’s in the door so I took a shovel to dig it out. It looked like I was excavating his >
drduffer
> foundation, the roots went so deep.
This benign little plant, that had been there for at least 10 years, had roots that went down about 4 feet.
It took most of a morning in 90 degree (F) heat to dig that sucker up and I was exhausted by the time I was done.
And it stayed gone.
UnluckyLunkhead
The shops in the Canary Islands (Spanish) have bananas that have incredible flavour, like bottled banana essence.
duoplicity
Apparently the Canary Islands bananas benefit from proximity over the tropical imports which add a month in transport. I can hardly wait to try one: https://danews.eu/2023/06/04/bananas-canary-islands-other-countries/