Five Food Facts about Bananas

1. Banana trees are considered giant herbs, not ‘trees’ at all

2. A cluster of bananas is known as a hand, each banana are fingers.

3. Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on bug bites are said to relieve itching and inflammation.

4. Over 95% of American households purchase banana at least once a month.

5. Bananas are one of the only fruits harvested every day of the year. They do not grow in regions that have dramatic seasonal changes.

 Daily Quote:

“I’m getting so old, I don’t even buy green bananas anymore.”~George Burns

Events of February 23

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

• 1884 Casimir Funk was born. Funk was a Polish-American biochemist who came up with the word ‘vitamine’ later changed to ‘vitamin.’

• 1896 Leo Hirshfield introduced the Tootsie Roll at his small store in New York City. It was supposedly named after his 5 year old daughter, whose nickname was ‘Tootsie.’

• 1931 RIP Helen Porter Mitchel, her stage name, Nellie Melba was a world famous operatic soprano born in Australia.  Melba Toast and Peach Melba were named for her.

• 1944  RIP Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a chemist who invented Bakelite, the first plastic that did not soften when heated. Those black plastic knobs on stoves were made of bakelite.

• 1997 Scientists in Scotland announced the first successful cloning of an adult mammal, Dolly, a sheep.