OP: Chiquita Banana Recipe Book
United Fruit Company, 1956. Staplebound pamphlet. Good Plus.
Despite being one of the most widely consumed fruits in the US today, the banana, like any other tropically grown produce, had to be introduced to an unfamiliar customer base at some point.
Most are more than happy with a potassium-packed treat of a plain ol’ banana, but the United Fruit Company wants to unlock the full potential of the fruit in dishes like:
- Baked bananas, served as a dessert or as a hot vegetable with—as the accompanying illustration would suggest—a halved tomato, Brussels sprouts, corn, and pickled beets
- Pan fried bananas with ham and eggs
- Banana scallops—deep fried medallions of firm banana—served here as the starch element of a dinner course
- “Salmon salad tropical,” which includes banana, pineapple, flaked salmon, celery, pickle, and mayonnaise
While these ideas may not have found a lasting audience, the banana split, banana muffins, and banana milk shake, certainly have.
A series of tips on how to buy and use bananas, as well as the (sometimes questionable) nutritional benefits—“Old folks find fully ripe bananas a pleasant, satisfying treat because they are a bland food, easy to chew, easy to digest and low in fat content,” for example—make for an interesting read.
Our copy’s covers have split at the spine, which someone previously repaired with tape. The stock is otherwise sturdy. Laid in are a pamphlet on banana nutrition issued by the United Fruit Company Home Ec. department in 1958 and three leaves of a different pamphlet featuring the “favorite banana recipes” from various New Englanders. 6” x 9”, 24 pages. Heavily illustrated. This one is for the enthusiasts.
