Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-05-10
CONCERNING BANANAS.
Various Varieties and Various ways Oh I'm"
ing the Tropical Fruit.

ing the Tropical Fruit
Ordinarily in this country bananas
are eaten raw, but in the troPicai
countries. while the natives eat them
| in like fashion, a more delicate, ana IL
is said. more healthful mode OF eatlng
them is in vogue. The soft, ripe frult'
beaten to cream. with sufficiency
of Amatiilado sherry, forms very ue-
lightful appetizer and is the iaVorlle
way of eating the banana in certain
| parts of the West Indies and on the
African coast. Taken in moderation
on first rising in the morning bananas
are said to be preventative of health,
and in this respect are in marked con-
trast with other tropical fruits, which
| are detrimental, rather than other
wise, to continued good health. An
intoxicating drink is made from the
banana, and on account of its astrln-
gent properties is of considerable
medicinal value. In Africa and prob
ably in other places also, the banana
and the kindred tree, the plantain,
are in very large measure the sole
dependence for the food supply of the
natives.
| The banana, when ripe, contains
seventy-four per cent. water Of tho
twenty-six remaining parts twenty are
sugar and two gluten. of fesh-forming
substance. 1t is not in itself perfect
food, but requires the addition OF some
more nitrogenus material, as lean
| meat
The pulp of the banana, but more
often of the plantain, is oftentimes
squeezed through sieve and formed
| into loaves, which, when ripe, will
keep very long time. In the
dried state it has resemblance to
bread, both in taste and composition,
but the ripened pulp is saccharine,
and not farinaceous.
| The fruit, however, of the banana is
the least valuable part of the tree.
| The fiber, which in some countries is
permitted to go to waste. is of value.
Throughout Central America and the
continent of Africa it is used with only
the preparation of drying, for sewing
thread and fishing nets. The threads
are of silky fineness. and it was
thought that as an article of COM
merce it would pay to import it in
large quantities. A firm in Bradford,
England. having got possession OF
some of the fiber, wove a quantity OF
handkerchiefs from it, that for delicacy
of finish and strength were unexcelled-
With a silky sheen and remarkably
fine web, such articles would have OBJ
tanned ready market, but it was
found that the mode of obtaining the
fiber by the natives was too slow, and
until some machine was invented tC
strip the fiber quickly the small guam
tity would be of practically no use.
At Panama the rarest and most de
licious of the banana species has it,
home, Small and rudy in color. it il
known vulgarly as the thumb banana
much priced even there. 1t does no
bear transportation well, although i
may often be found in the markets O
Chicago and New York. Crossing tn,
isthmus by the line that connects Pan
anna with Aspin wall the natives at The
villages along the route make habi
- coming to the train decked in prim
tive fashion, with garlands of fower
around their necks and flowers in thei
hair and disposing of fruit. Here tn,
thumb banana may be eaten in it's per
fection.-Alta California.