Celebrate National Banana Bread Day with this local favorite

Heidi Ho Neighbor! Today on Indy Style, we celebrate National Banana Bread Day with help from Heidi Ho’s Baked Goods. Here’s more:

Banana bread first became a standard feature of American cookbooks with the popularization of baking soda and baking powder in the 1930s, appeared in Pillsbury’s 1933 Balanced Recipes cookbook, and later gained more acceptance with the release of the original Chiquita Banana’s Recipe Book in 1950.The origin of the first banana bread recipe is unknown, though some speculate it was originated in the 18th century by housewives experimenting with pearlash. The home baking revival of the 1960s and the simplicity of its recipe led to an explosion in banana bread’s popularity.

Five fun facts:

1. Most banana breads are quick breads and contain no yeast but do contain baking powder.

2. More bananas are sold than any other fruit in the United States. Believe it or not, 96% of American households purchase bananas at least once a month!

3. When ten or more bananas grow on a single stem they are known as a hand. Individual bananas, it follows, are called fingers. Bananas are generally sold in clusters of four to six in the store.

4. Green tipped bananas are considered to be the best for cooking side dishes with. When they are yellow with brown flecks or riper they are great for using in breads, cookies, and shakes, but are generally too soft and sweet for cooking.

5. Alexander the Great conquered parts of India in 327 BCE and “discovered” bananas. Archaeological record clearly indicates that the banana had been cultivated well before that, but his is thought to be the first written record of this delightful fruit.

Facebook Page: Heidi Ho’s Baked Goods

Email Address: heidihos@aol.com

Available at Joe’s Butcher Shop in downtown Carmel