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This is a Candevish banana.
They look familiar.
In fact, they all look basically the same.
That's because every banana is a genetic clone of all other bananas.
Which creates a genetic uniformity that is dangerous for this likable fruit.
You see, back in the 1950s, the banana people knew and loved was wiped out by disease.
These, ladies and gentlemen, are Gros Michel bananas.
Since becoming widely popular in the 1800s, Gros Michel was the variety you would see at the produce stand.
According to legend, this kind of banana tasted way better. It was more soft and creamy.
View this video on YouTube
Here is a guy tasting a Gros Michel banana. They're still grown in some parts of Southeast Asia.
But a disease known as "Race 1" began to kill them off in the '20s, and by the 1950s banana farmers had turned to the Candevish variant to meet demand.
The song "Yes, We Have No Bananas" was written about this terrible crisis.
View this video on YouTube
Now, a similar disease is after the Candevish. It's already devastated farms in Asia, the Pacific, and Australia.
Again, Gros Michel:
Candevish:
What strange new variety will we get next?
Will it even taste OK??
Whatever happens, we'll all get through it together, guys.
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