Whatever Happened To Bananas?

[naomi24]

I've just eaten a banana - well one bite of a banana.  It tasted a bit 'woody' but apart from that nothing.  Horrible.  Bananas seem to be going that way more and more now but I've no idea why.  I want my flavour back!

[ToraToraTora]

Not noticed any difference round these parts, not eating a plantain are you?

[sandyRoe]

Was it ripe enough?

[Maydup]

Do you buy from the same place regularly? It might be worth trying others.

I wonder if the varieties grown for the biggest supermarkets for example have had all there flavour bred out of them and any that's left is lost in the mass freezing for transport process . 
 

 

[DTCwordfan]

Food of the Devil and Lady J agrees with me - both of us are allergic to them - in my case, it would be hossie here I come and even the smell of them sends me running - that's the psychosomatic warning siren going off. The cause is an enzyme in the banana - whether it's genus-specific, I have no idea and I am not exactly going to test this.....

[sandyRoe]

Maydup,

Same with the cheaper tomatoes.  All an identical size and almost tasteless.

[naomi24]

They were from a farm shop.  

[johnny.5]

it all depends which contry they come from

we used to get our bananas from thecarribean and south/central america which are naturally a lot sweeter than the asian one's  

[ladybirder]

The skin on my latest bunch of 5, started to go black at one end and travel along further.  I had to cut about a third off each one and eat what was left. I moved them from the fruit bowl into the fridge but it didn't make any difference.  Odd.

Didn't I read something in the papers about a shortage occurring?

[barry1010]

Fun fact - every banana eaten in the western world is a descendant of the banana grown at Chatsworth House, the Cavendish banana.

My wife says her daily banana has been fine.  The bananas in the kitchen came from Ecaudor

[davebro3]

maybe one's taste buds deteriorate as one ages...

[Old_Geezer]

I know the 50s had a banana problem when tbey had to change the variety cultivated from the Gros Michel to the Cavendish. I understand the latter wasn't as tasty. I think there was a rumour of a similar disease problem a few years back. Maybe you're detecting a further change now ?

[zebo]

//Same with the cheaper tomatoes.  All an identical size and almost tasteless.//

I can't understand the labels on tomatoes that say Grown for flavour, why else would they be grown?

[Old_Geezer]

Profit probably.

Colour, shape, and size maybe too.

[Togo]

There has been a bit of a World wide panic on regarding Bananas. A Fungal disease was rampant all through last year leading to some claims that Bananas could become extinct. I think it may have been called Panama Disease that caused the plants to blacken and rot. Typing Bananas from Panama is a pain.  

[Tilly2]

We were in Costa Rice recently. Their bananas and pineapples are heavenly.

[Tilly2]

Costa Rica!

[Patsy33]

The ones I buy always seem to go mushy, and taste horrible. Fed up with it!

[10ClarionSt]

When I was a kid, we lived right next door to the Fyffes banana warehouse in Ancoats. The stench was horrible. It's now the site of Royal Mail on Oldham Road, just round the corner from Anita Street, which is used for lots of ads and TV scenes and is reckined to be one of the most photographed streets in the UK. 

[10ClarionSt]

^^ reckoned^^   😊

[Ringlet]

I so agree!  I've noticed a big change in the texture and flavour of bananas in recent years. 

The flesh of the banana is dryish and the soft "banana" taste has disappeared entirely. 

I also noticed that for many years I have not seen the little blue sticker on a bunch of bananas that told us they were "Fyffes".  I wonder if this is something to do with the change in taste.