Bit of History
The banana is mentioned for the first time in history in Buddhist texts 600 years BC. Alexander the Great discovered the taste of banana in the Indian valleys in 327 BC. The existence of banana plantations could be found in China back in the year 200 AD. In 650 AD, Islamic conquerors brought the banana all over Africa.

In 1502, the Portuguese started the first banana plantation in the Caribbean and in central America.

Nutritional Facts
Banana is a highly nourishing fruit, contains no fat, and because of its digestive properties, you can eat a banana anytime of the day. Someone told me once to avoid eating banana before going to bed, as they usually release all the energy an hour or so later, while you will be fast asleep. So if you are watching your weight, obviously, this isn’t a good thing to do – because banana holds 23 percent of hydrocarbonate for 0.2 percent of fat. The cholesterol level is 0.00 percent; but best of all, 100 grams of banana provide you with the same low calories as 100 grams of yogurt with fruit.

The banana is full of proteins, and the sugar provided gives a lot of energy to those practicing sports that require endurance. Also, bananas contain magnesium, selenium, iron, a lot of vitamins, and is recommended for salt-free diets because of its low sodium chloride content.

Few more facts :

• The word banana is derived from the Arabic meaning ‘finger’.
• There are about 400 varieties of bananas.
• Each banana stem consists of 10 to 14 hands each of them carrying from l8 to 20 bananas.
• The harvest starts when the banana is still green.
• Bananas for domestic consumption are cut green.
• They can stay green only for about 3 weeks after they are picked.
• Carefully washed, cut into smaller bunches, called ‘clusters’, they are then packed in carton boxes, and transported by refrigerated ships.