Ever wondered why artificial banana flavour – the kind you’d find in those foam banana sweets from your childhood – doesn’t quite match up to the taste of a real banana?
Well, it turns out they sort of do – or at least, they resemble what fresh bananas used to taste like. This intriguing topic was discussed on the podcast A Normal Meets A Nerd, hosted by The Chase’s Darragh Ennis and comedian Dylan Evans.
Liverpool-born Dylan expressed his love for bananas, branding them a “lovely fruit”, but confessed that “banana-flavour things” make him feel ill. However, quiz whizz Darragh assured there’s a “good reason why” this is the case.
Darragh clarified: “So, the banana flavouring is what bananas used to taste like”. He further explained that “pretty much” all the yellow bananas we purchase from supermarkets are of the Cavendish variety. He elaborated that these bananas aren’t propagated through seeds, but are clones of each other.
“So they’re all exactly the same. So they all taste the same,” he added. According to Darragh, this variety made its way to the UK in the 1950s, but prior to that, a variety called Gros Michel was the most common variety.
Unfortunately, this strain was “attacked by a fungal disease,” and since they were clones and genetically identical, they “got almost completely wiped out.” The disease was identified as Fusarium Wilt of Banana, or FWB, caused by a fungal pathogen that kills a plant by obstructing water and mineral transportation.
“So the Gros Michel banana tasted almost exactly like fake banana flavouring, and they’ve just never changed it. That banana flavouring mimics what bananas were like 75 years ago,” he said.
Over on Reddit, enthusiasts have been sharing their encounters with the Gros Michel variety. One user remarked: “I think I unknowingly bought some on a local produce market in La Palma, in the Canary islands.
“Everything about that banana was amazing. The taste is really strong, and resembles the candy flavouring, it took me by surprise. The texture is firm and creamy at the same time, not brittle and slimy like the Cavendish. I highly recommend trying them.”
Another agreed: “Have you ever tasted banana flavored candy? Laffy Taffy or something similar? The Gros Michel taste is close to that because it contains a higher concentration of isoamyl acetate (the main flavouring component in banana flavouring) than the Cavendish variety does.”
Not everyone was aware that the distinct candy flavour was rooted in real banana taste. “I hate bananas but this is actually really interesting,” commented a surprised forum member. “I’ve learned something today,” chimed in another.