Critical Cookbook 2017: Banana Bread

One may think that banana bread is known for its fruit, bananas, which is simply not true. Banana bread was one the few dishes that originated in the United States during the early 1930’s when the popularization of baking powder and soda started to appear in cookbooks. Over the course of the semester, we have discovered different themes that food had to contribute to our culture. One would not think banana bread would not have anything to do with sexuality and gender roles, but it’s origin can explain how banana bread helped solidify gender stereotypes like in the movie The Help and the cooking show The Pioneer Women. The banana bread recipe I have used was one that has been passed down in my family from my great grandmother, to my grandmother, and so on to me. Most of all, this recipe shows that our society can live a simple life with simple ingredients much like Barbara Kingsolver has shown in her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. By simply researching banana bread, we can start to take back the definition of American food culture.

Banana bread came about in the first Pillsbury cookbook in 1933, during the great depression. The Great Depression started in 1929, leaving people broke and anxious about how they were going to feed the children and themselves. If you’ve ever known someone who grew up during the depression, you’d know that they are basically hoarders. This was because all their items were precious, including food. No food was to be wasted and this is how banana bread came to be. With households unwilling to throw anything away, even a rotten or brown banana (which my grandmother always said were the best to use). By the late 1930’s banana bread recipes were being distributed in many cookbooks like Better Homes and Gardens, and the United Fruit Company. Over the years there have been many different variations of banana bread creating a twist to a classic.

So, what about the main ingredient? Bananas had been imported from southern countries such as Colombia, and Ecuador to the US and Europe since the late 19th century. The main provider for bananas to the United States was The United Fruit Company. Founded in 1889, the UFC was a corporation that traded tropical fruits (mainly bananas). Over time the name would change to the name most Americans would recognize today as Chiquita Brands International. Their top competitor was the Standard Fruit Company (known today as Dole Food Company). As we can tell by the modern names, the desire for obtaining tropical fruits is still high. With modernization, they have become easier to acquire.

Although most people don’t live their lives like Barbara Kingsolver, eating only what’s in season, we can still try to simplify our food choices. Although bananas are a tropical fruit and are foreign to United States, you can easily substitute any fruit or vegetable (my favorite is Zucchini) to fit the model of Kingsolver. Kingsolver suggests that to live sustainably you can only eat what is local and organically grown. For those who chose to live like her or prefer to choose veganism as their dietary preference, there are many food blogs that teach the reader how to cook their favorite recipes in a different way. As we know, the Chiquita brand is one of the leading companies for exporting goods to other countries. With that, there is a lot of damage that we put on the earth. But reusing and recycling products is important to Chiquita. Chiquita states, “We also reuse the wooden pallets that banana boxes are stacked on, which saves 35,000 trees each year.” And, “[e]very year, we recycle or reuse over 2,000 metric tons of the plastic bags and twine used on company farms.” (dev.chiquita.com) By making efforts to change the food industry we can slowly learn how to live sustainably.

During this semester, we learned about how sexuality and gender norms effected our food culture. With sexuality, the media portrays food as sexy and desirable, while the history of food solidifies the gender norms this generation is breaking away from. During the 30s-60s, women were the domestic leaders–the ones responsible for raising children and taking care of their husbands. In this context, a big part of being a “good wife” was to have the capability to make tasty meals. Having the “responsibilities” as the housewife very much repressed women. Much like the movie, the history of the creation of banana bread resembles the time of women’s suppression.

It was thought that banana bread was known for its main ingredient, bananas. But there is a vast history behind both the fruit and the bread. Banana bread was one the few dishes that originated in the United States and defines the question of whether or not the United States has a food culture. During the early 1930s, when the popularization of baking powder and soda started, Banana bread began to appear in cookbooks. Over the course of the semester, we have discovered different themes that food had to contribute to our culture. One would not think banana bread would not have anything to do with sexuality and gender roles, but when discovering the history of banana bread, it can explain how this food helped solidify gender stereotypes like in the movie The Help and the cooking show The Pioneer Women. Most of all this recipe shows that our society can live a simple life with simple ingredients much like Barbara Kingsolver has shown in her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. By simply researching banana bread, we can start to take back the definition of American food culture.

Memere’s Banana Bread

Prep-time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 50-60 mins

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup Shortening or Margarine
• 1 ½ Cup Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 Cups Flour
• ½ Tsp Salt
• ½ Tsp Baking Soda
• ¼ Cup Milk
• 3 Bananas

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. First, combine shortening/margarine and sugar together.
3. Next in a different bowl, beat two eggs and add vanilla extract.
4. Then add the beaten eggs to the shortening/margarine mixture.
5. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda
6. Next mash the bananas and combine the milk.
7. When all the ingredients are combined, alternate mixing the flour and the mashed banana milk mixture into the shortening/margarine blend.
8. Grease a loaf pan (although any pan will do) and cook in oven for 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!