Superstitions of Bananas Onboard

During the 18 Century (1700’s) trade ships from the Caribbean, Polynesian Islands and Spain began disappearing. Only floating bananas remained. They also were known to attract venomous snakes and spiders.

Fishermen have also fed into this folklore tale but to say they’re a fish repellent.

There lies the myth that bananas on board were the culprit.

Fun Facts

• Banan is an Arabic word which means finger.
• Bananas can cause other adjacent fruits to ripen prematurely.
• Banana leaves can grow up to 12′.
• ​Bananas release ethylene gas.
• Bunch is a “hand” and an individual serving a “finger”.
• Cavendish are human influenced.
• Consists of 75% water.
• Contain fiber, potassium, vitamin ​B6 and vitamin C​.
• Domestically grown in California, Florida and Hawaii.
• Grown from a bulb and not a seed.
• India is the largest grower and producer; followed by Brazil, China, Indonesia and Nigeria.
• Interior gel makes them slippery on floors.
• International Banana Museum (Mecca, CA) won the Guinness World Record as the largest museum devoted to a single fruit.
• Largest plant without a wood stem.
• Low in calories.
• Naturally slightly radioactive.
• No fat​s,​ cholesterol or sodium​.
• ​One of the world’s oldest fruits (technically berry).
• ​Only fruit ​w​ith amino acid tryptophan ​and vitamin B6. 
• ​Peel from the bottom vs stem to avoid interior peel strands.
• Peel interior makes for a cleaning agent rubbed on leather shoes and silver.
• Peel interior taped onto a wart nightly will remove it (1 – 2 weeks).
• Peel interior rub will soothe a mosquito bite or poison ivy.
• Peels are culturally cooked in Asia, India and Venezuela.
• Persons allergic to bananas also tend to be allergic to latex.
• Picked while green.
• Refrigeration will darken the skin brown to black.
• Ripe bananas glow under ultraviolet light. 
• Rubbing a peel interio​r helps with headaches.
• Scientifically a berry fruit.
• Stored in a brown paper bag will ripen them.
• There’s 1,000/+ varieties.
• They float in water.
• Uganda is the largest consumer.
• Wrapping stems tightly in cling wrap ​a​ids to their shelf longevity ​(​by 3 – 5 days​).

Fortunately, neither of us are superstitious so you’ll find bananas onboard our vessel.