001: Bananas

Bananas are the most heavily consumed fruit worldwide and especially in the US. While that may not surprise you, there are quite a few things that will. In this episode, we peel back the layers to reveal the secrets of the common supermarket banana. Credits: The book A History of Food by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington The Cargo Handbook website Popular Science and National Geographic magazines Numerous Wikipedia editors Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Memory" by Luca Fraula 

Sound is a funny thing. While we use it to communicate and entertain us, it also has the ability to stir up a memory, a desire, or make you aware of how hungry you are. Tell me, what were you just picturing during that sizzle? Eggs? Some bacon? Vegetable Stir Fry? Food is such a major part of our lives that you probably don't ever stop and ask yourself why it is part of your world. Food, like people, has a history. The history of different foods can be filled with everything from war to luck, famine to fortune, decay to decadence.  You may know about the humble potato and its hand in the death of 1 million Irish people during the 19th century. You may have even heard about the Salvation Army's role in making donuts an American favorite. But have you ever wondered how a sweet custard tasting fruit that has the odor of death ever convinced someone to go, "Hey, that horrible smelling thing, I think I'll take a bite of that." Food has a story and this short form podcast will bring you those stories, with a different food each episode. I hope you're hungry. My name is Mario Lurig and this is Food Bites, a podcast for everyone who wants to learn a little bit more about the foods we eat.  Listen to all of the episodes and share it with others by going to FoodBitesPodcast.com.