Here's a little known fact for you. "Cavendish" is the name of the variety of banana you most often see on the shelves of your supermarket, but that wasn't always the case. Up until a fungus called "Panama disease" struck banana producing countries in the 1960's, the "Gros Michel" was the common variety. The disease wiped out almost all harvests of the Gros Michel variety, causing a scramble for a replacement, the Cavendish. Now a new Panama disease-like fungus is seriously threatening the Cavendish, possibly causing us to see another replacement in the future. Popular Science has a lengthy article up on the possible extinction of what Chiquita says is "quite possibly the world's perfect food."Yes, we'll have no bananas?
Here's a little known fact for you. "Cavendish" is the name of the variety of banana you most often see on the shelves of your supermarket, but that wasn't always the case. Up until a fungus called "Panama disease" struck banana producing countries in the 1960's, the "Gros Michel" was the common variety. The disease wiped out almost all harvests of the Gros Michel variety, causing a scramble for a replacement, the Cavendish. Now a new Panama disease-like fungus is seriously threatening the Cavendish, possibly causing us to see another replacement in the future. Popular Science has a lengthy article up on the possible extinction of what Chiquita says is "quite possibly the world's perfect food."
DIY Foods: Making homemade sausage
Cakes so amazing they'd be hard to cut into
Fruit juice: An invitation to diabetes?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-19-2005 @ 9:27PM
Anton said...
This just bugged me because now I feel decieved by the banana makers. And I really want to try a Gros Michel to find out what I'm missing. Alas.
Reply
9-19-2005 @ 10:58PM
Ivan L. said...
Well, cavendish, Gros Michel, etc, bananas are great.
Reply
9-19-2005 @ 11:12PM
J. Nathan Matias said...
Actually not too new. The Popular Science people seem to have just waited until the furor died out from the New Scientist articles (http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/bananas.asp).
Reply