The calendar loves pie days and National Banana Cream Pie Day is no exception! On March 2nd, be sure to get your slice of one of America’s all-time favorite creampies.
- The traditional custard pie was modified into a recipe that resulted in the appetizing and flavorful banana cream pie. Dating back to the 19th century, banana cream pie found its way into recipe books.
- In 1951, soldiers of the United States Armed Services ranked the banana cream pie as one of their favorites.
- An English variation is called Banoffee Pie – a merger of banana and toffee.
- Bananas are proven to be great after a strenuous workout!
- Bananas can help defend against anemia.
- Bananas float in water, as do apples and watermelons.
- The Banana Club Museum, located on Highway 111 in Mecca, Calif. (just south of Palm Springs), houses the world’s largest collection devoted to any one fruit. It contains more than 17,000 banana items, most of which have been donated by members.
- More than 100 billion bananas are eaten every year in the world, making them the fourth most popular agricultural product.
- Americans eat an average of 27 pounds of bananas per person every year.
- More than 96 percent of American households buy bananas at least once a month.
- 51 percent of bananas are eaten for breakfast at home.
- The highest average per capita consumption of bananas in the world is in Ecuador, where residents eat an average of 218 pounds of bananas per person every year.
- More songs have been written about bananas than about any other fruit.
- The banana is actually classified as a berry.
- Bananas may be considered a mood enhancer because it contains the amino acid, tryptophan and Vitamin B6 that helps the body produce serotonin.
- Bananas can help lower blood pressure and protect heart health due to high potassium and low salt content.
- Humans share about 50% of our DNA with bananas.
- Bananas first appeared in written history in the 6th century B.C.
- David Evans Strickler invented the banana split in 1904 when he was a 23-year-old employee at the Tassel Pharmacy soda fountain in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
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