Food and February go together. Superbowl parties with wings, dip, and other party foods dominate the first weekend in the month. Valentine's Day is chocolate-lover's paradise, from heart-shaped red boxes of candy to chocolate roses. And then there's February 23! Don't forget about February 23.
What's February 23, you ask?
National Banana Bread Day
National Banana Bread Day may not be the biggest holiday in February, but it's definitely the tastiest. Every February 23 the nation celebrates this quick bread, the comfort food and favorite snack of the nation. From classrooms to coffeehouses to churches, banana bread is ubiquitous – and universally enjoyed. The unlikely pairing of bananas with bread two centuries ago has now become a culinary mainstay in American life.
Bananas were not a common food in the United States until the late 1800s, when their cultivation in Central America and hardier versions of bananas were cultivated for shipping the the U.S. By the early 1900s the Cavendish, a type of banana bred specifically for its hardy skin and ability to withstand tough shipping conditions, became the popular banana type we now commonly eat. Eaten raw, without the peel, bananas now are used in cooking, from baked goods to desserts to first baby foods for infants.
Banana Bread Recipes
While the basics of any good banana bread are similar, every baker, professional or amateur, has his or her own special banana bread recipe. Some recipes include chocolate chips, others cinnamon, and still others use shredded zucchini or carrots to add some zest. Bakers have created gluten free versions, vegan options, and dairy free recipes as well.
You can make loaves of bread, muffins, muffin tops, mini muffins or, with a little trickery, even make banana bread cookies. Like any quick bread, the point is convenience and versatility. With no single, “right” way to make banana bread, this treat offers bakers the chance to create a signature bread that will leave friends begging for the recipe.
So how do most people celebrate National Banana Bread Day? In the kitchen, of course! Grab your favorite recipe, a bunch of bananas, and whatever extras you use – chocolate chips, ground cocoa, powdered sugar, cinnamon chips, raisins – and settle in for a baking holiday. While there are no ceremonies or historical rituals, one rule remains: this a-”peel”-ing holiday requires bakers to make a favorite batch and share, share, share!
Resources:
Best Easy Banana Bread Recipe, ChiquitaBananas.com, accessed February 15, 2012.
National Banana Bread Day, Punchbowl.com, accessed February 14, 2012.
Koeppel, Dan. Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World. Hudson Street Press, 2007.
Melanie Zoltan - Melanie Zoltan is a former college professor and administrator who has written for About.com, PCWorld, Brain Child, Thomson Gale, and ...
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