Anyone who loves a good banana bread recipe will appreciate all of the evolution that brought it to us. Creating foods has been part of every culture since the Neanderthal. Of course, the more we know about a single food's history the more we are likely to create a palette that coincides with the food's original flavor as well as with today's modern adjustments.
There is no actual record indicating that in such and such a year at such and such location the first banana bread recipe was designed, developed, and baked. Rather, we have to look at the evolution of the various ingredients that would eventually turn into what we now call the banana bread recipe.
If we look at the evolution of the basic banana bread recipe ingredients we can most likely gauge when the first actual recipe was handed down and where it was probably developed. All banana bread recipes are quick bread recipes. This simply means that there is no yeast used for rising in the baking process.
These early breads were made from a crushed grain that was blended with some water before it was baked on hot stones. It is thought that the first banana bread recipe followed this general outline of bread baking, with the mushed bananas mixed in for a little bit of addition to the taste. While still not the banana bread recipe we love today, it is closer to a resemblance.
It has been speculated that the first actual banana bread recipe was tried. Given that the original version of bread was not very tasty, it is likely that people were gathering various elements in an attempt to make the bread taste better. It is quite possible that bananas were part of that experimental process.
It was, however, the Egyptians that were able to transform the flavor and the feel of bread. In 4, 000 BC the discovery of fermentation of bread dough was astounding. This would lead to a softer and fluffier bread product that would appeal to a wider range of tastes. Fermenting the dough before cooking it allowed gas to escape, leaving behind air pockets to soften the overall texture.
A Greek philosopher was heralded as producing the original book on botany, and in this book you can find a thorough explanation and a drawn picture of the banana plant. This means that Greece had bananas and they were already starting to experiment with the different ways they could approach the creation of bread.
While these original banana bread recipes are not the same as our favorites today, they were the very origin that led to the banana bread recipes that even we pass on from time to time. Today, we add baking powder to our banana bread recipe to create leavening. This helps the bread rise. Yeast would make the bread rise too much while no leavening ingredient would create flat, hard, and chewy bread. In 1875, almost 100 years after the first American cookbook was written, baking powder would become an American staple. Thus, it is said that the first banana bread was created in the United States in the 18th century. - 30241
There is no actual record indicating that in such and such a year at such and such location the first banana bread recipe was designed, developed, and baked. Rather, we have to look at the evolution of the various ingredients that would eventually turn into what we now call the banana bread recipe.
If we look at the evolution of the basic banana bread recipe ingredients we can most likely gauge when the first actual recipe was handed down and where it was probably developed. All banana bread recipes are quick bread recipes. This simply means that there is no yeast used for rising in the baking process.
These early breads were made from a crushed grain that was blended with some water before it was baked on hot stones. It is thought that the first banana bread recipe followed this general outline of bread baking, with the mushed bananas mixed in for a little bit of addition to the taste. While still not the banana bread recipe we love today, it is closer to a resemblance.
It has been speculated that the first actual banana bread recipe was tried. Given that the original version of bread was not very tasty, it is likely that people were gathering various elements in an attempt to make the bread taste better. It is quite possible that bananas were part of that experimental process.
It was, however, the Egyptians that were able to transform the flavor and the feel of bread. In 4, 000 BC the discovery of fermentation of bread dough was astounding. This would lead to a softer and fluffier bread product that would appeal to a wider range of tastes. Fermenting the dough before cooking it allowed gas to escape, leaving behind air pockets to soften the overall texture.
A Greek philosopher was heralded as producing the original book on botany, and in this book you can find a thorough explanation and a drawn picture of the banana plant. This means that Greece had bananas and they were already starting to experiment with the different ways they could approach the creation of bread.
While these original banana bread recipes are not the same as our favorites today, they were the very origin that led to the banana bread recipes that even we pass on from time to time. Today, we add baking powder to our banana bread recipe to create leavening. This helps the bread rise. Yeast would make the bread rise too much while no leavening ingredient would create flat, hard, and chewy bread. In 1875, almost 100 years after the first American cookbook was written, baking powder would become an American staple. Thus, it is said that the first banana bread was created in the United States in the 18th century. - 30241
About the Author:
If you want to learn how to bake lots of tasty loafs of banana bread at home, try these banana bread recipes written by Ben Cook. Ben recommends thismoist banana bread recipe to begin with.
