The History of Banana Bread

Bananas are not native to the United States and were hard to come by until the early 20th century, when improvements in refrigeration made shipping bananas over long distances more reliable. They soon gained popularity, and when the Great Depression struck, Americans began to look for ways to use up every scrap of food — including overripe bananas. Around the same time, chemical leaveners like baking soda and baking powder were becoming very widely available, so cookbook writers took advantage and began creating recipes for banana quick breads. These recipes appeared in cookbooks published by Better Homes and Gardens, Pillsbury Flour, the United Fruit Company (a banana importer), and more. Economical and filling, banana bread became a staple for many Americans. Recipes for banana bread changed along with food trends in the ensuing decades, including bare-bones options during World War II rationing and versions packed with lots of natural ingredients during the “hippie” years of the 1960s and 1970s. Today, banana bread remains one of the most popular recipes in America and many families have even passed their signature banana bread recipes down through multiple generations.