# Anyone here had a Cavendish banana? Do they really taste different? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2014, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479 "2014-12-17T07:47:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/1 "2014-12-17T07:47:29Z")
See title, I’m curious just how different they tasted compared to the modern banana. I’ve seen claims banana candy and artificial banana flavor is so different from real banana flavor because it was created to imitate the Cavendish.:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/2 "2014-12-17T08:17:34Z")
Actually, Cavendish bananas are the most widely exported banana and they make up a majority of the bananas sold in the grocery store. At least in the U.S., they’re the most common banana. I don’t know what other kind is considered the “modern” banana. At least when it comes to the ones you put in your cereal at breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/3 "2014-12-17T08:23:00Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Actually, Cavendish bananas are the most widely exported banana and they make up a majority of the bananas sold in the grocery store. At least in the U.S., they’re the most common banana. I don’t know what other kind is considered the “modern” banana. At least when it comes to the ones you put in your cereal at breakfast. DOH! You’re right and I got it backwards, I meant to ask if anyone has tasted a Gros Michel banana, Cavendish is the variety that replaced it around the 50s. :smack: > **[Gros Michel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gros_Michel_banana)** > > Gros Michel (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}French pronunciation: \[ɡʁo miʃɛl\]), often translated and known as "Big Mike", is an export cultivar of banana and was, until the 1950s, the main variety grown. The physical properties of the Gros Michel make it an excellent export produce; its thick peel makes it resilient to bruising d Gr... > [@](#): > > The clone ‘Dwarf Cavendish’, today’s food banana in the west, has a different flavour ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/4 "2014-12-17T08:39:41Z")
Maybe **Siam Sam** knows. They’re grown in Thailand. They’d probably make a hell of a banana split. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/5 "2014-12-17T14:18:22Z")
I’m curious about the difference in flavor, but I doubt that it has much to do with the artifical flavor not tasting like real bananas. Artificial banana flavor is isoamyl acetate which, according to Wikipedia, does occur in natural bananas. It’s just one flavor compound, though, so that’s why it’s such a pale imitation of anything. The story I’ve always heard about artificial flavors is that they’re simple, easy-to-make chemicals that were named after the thing they remind people of, not nuanced recipes intentionally emulating anything real. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/6 "2014-12-17T14:31:14Z")
Wouldn’t anyone over the age of about 60-65 have had Gros Michel bananas in their youth, considering that they were the dominant export banana until sometime in the 1950s? Do any of our more… experienced Dopers have any experiences like this? Also… re: the fake banana flavoring & Gros Michel bananas: > **[Debunking the Myth of the Fake Banana Flavor](https://gizmodo.com/debunking-the-myth-of-the-fake-banana-flavor-1629459201)** > > Over at the BBC, the myth about banana flavoring has been put to the test. And while there's a kernel of truth to the idea that fake banana resembles a variety that nearly went extinct, it's still a just a myth. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/7 "2014-12-17T14:47:21Z")
I do know the banana I’d buy at a supermarket in Baltimore did not taste like one that I pick off the plant in my dad’s back yard, but that’s the case for just about every fruit fresh vs. shipped. Plus, the noncommercial bananas here in PR are a whole mishmash of different varietals so I can’t say for sure I know which ones I’ve tasted, only that yes, some are sweeter, less sweet, and I suppose “bananier” or “less bananish”. I am aware that part of the issue with the Cavendish as most people outside banana-growing regions know them is that they are not quite strongly flavorful to begin with, having been bred to travel and store well as a commercial export crop. As with other synthetic “fruit” flavors, the artificial “banana” flavoring tastes to me more like they took some scent notes from overripe fruit. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/8 "2014-12-17T16:47:07Z")
When I was in Costa Rica we went into a little shop that had a bunch of bananas hanging. They were smaller than what we normally see in the states. I pulled one off and it was like the difference between a store bought tomato and a garden grown one. No idea what the variety was but it was delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/9 "2014-12-17T16:52:40Z")
I don’t know if I’ve tried the Gros Michel, but I’ve had different varieties of banana and they do taste different from each other. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/10 "2014-12-17T17:24:06Z")
Here’s where I can plug my friends book on the subject… > **[Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World: Koeppel, Dan:...](https://www.amazon.com/Banana-Fate-Fruit-Changed-World/dp/0452290082)** > > Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World \[Koeppel, Dan\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/11 "2014-12-17T17:31:25Z")
Interesting article by Cecil about it. > **[Are bananas about to become extinct?](https://www.straightdope.com/21344086/are-bananas-about-to-become-extinct)** > [@](#): > > 1. Nonetheless, absent some miraculous intervention, there’s a high likelihood the Cavendish will be destroyed as a commercial crop. The banana is threatened by Panama disease race 4, a fungus that spreads through the soil. (Panama disease race 1 is what killed off most of the Gros Michels.) There’s no effective way of treating race 4. The fungus is wreaking havoc with the Cavendish industry in parts of Asia, Africa, and Australia. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/12 "2014-12-17T17:37:29Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Here’s where I can plug my friends book on the subject… > [Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World: Koeppel, Dan: 9780452290082: Amazon.com: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Fate-Fruit-Changed-World/dp/0452290082/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418837035&sr=1-1&keywords=banana+the+fate+of+the+fruit+that+changed+the+world&pebp=1418837049566) I read your friend’s book! He says the Gros Michel was creamier. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/13 "2014-12-17T18:06:11Z")
If you are not enamored with the taste of the cavendish, have you tried the [red banana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_banana)? Available at many grocery store chains. A little more expensive, but very tasty. Note: the red banana isn’t fully ripe until it starts to turn black at the edges. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/14 "2014-12-17T18:44:40Z")
For my money, the best tasting bananas are the little [Señorita bananas](https://www.google.com/search?q=senorita+banana&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS421US421&espv=2&biw=1027&bih=747&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=t8yRVITqIYrluQS66oCwCQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#q=senorita+banana&tbm=isch&pws=0) that we have in the Philippines. They are soft and creamy and like pure essence of banana. The Cavendish on the other hand is bland and mealy and about as far from tasting like a banana as you can get while still being a banana. > **[Señorita banana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se%C3%B1orita_banana)** > > Señorita bananas (also known as Monkoy, Cariñosa, or Cuarenta Dias) are diploid cultivars of the banana Musa acuminata originating in the Philippines. They are very small stout bananas which, like all bananas belonging to the AA cultivar group, are known for being extraordinarily sweet. > Señorita bananas are diploid (AA) cultivars of the wild seeded banana Musa acuminata. Its accepted name is Musa acuminata (AA Group) 'Señorita'. In the Philippines it is known as 'Monkoy', 'Sarot-sut', 'Cariñ... ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/15 "2014-12-17T19:01:05Z")
I’ve had a variety of bananas in S. America. I don’t know specifically which types, but I can tell you freshly picked ripe bananas are way better than anything I’ve ever had here in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/16 "2014-12-17T23:08:30Z")
In [The Fish That Ate the Whale](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/books/review/the-fish-that-ate-the-whale-by-rich-cohen.html?_r=0) Rich Cohen claims that the reason we had so many slipping on banana peel jokes in the old days was that the Gros Michel’s peels were oilier and literally much more slippery than those of the Cavendish. That’s more interesting than any difference in taste. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/17 "2014-12-18T05:44:00Z")
> [@grude](#): > > DOH! You’re right and I got it backwards, I meant to ask if anyone has tasted a Gros Michel banana, Cavendish is the variety that replaced it around the 50s. > > :smack: > [Gros Michel - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gros_Michel_banana) I was going to recommend a title change, but I think you’re being crafty. You’ll get all the pedantic Dopers in here to tell you you made a mistake, meaning they’ll read your thread. I believed the part about the flavoring. Banana is the one flavoring where I don’t see what it has to do with the real thing. I can even understand grape if you get the right type of grape. But banana tastes nothing like bananas. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/18 "2014-12-18T14:23:01Z")
My daughter had something that was probably a Gros Michel when she was in Mozambique. She said it was sweeter than Cavendish. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/19 "2014-12-18T14:31:29Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > In [The Fish That Ate the Whale](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/books/review/the-fish-that-ate-the-whale-by-rich-cohen.html?_r=0) Rich Cohen claims that the reason we had so many slipping on banana peel jokes in the old days was that the Gros Michel’s peels were oilier and literally much more slippery than those of the Cavendish. That’s more interesting than any difference in taste. I was wondering about that. I’ve deliberately stepped on banana peels to see how slippery they were and found that they really weren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479/20 "2014-12-19T01:26:45Z")
If you dry out bananas, they… well, they still don’t taste like artificial banana flavoring. But they do taste close enough to it to be recognizable. The same is true of watermelon, which doesn’t even have any detectable flavor at all beyond “sweet” until you dry it. What I wonder about, is I’ve had huckleberry pop, which was made with artificial flavoring. Just what, exactly, is the difference between artificial huckleberry flavoring and artificial blueberry flavoring? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-a-cavendish-banana-do-they-really-taste-different/707479.md?page=2)