Wartime Rations - Not very 'A-Peel-ing'
- CAN Girl
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
What comes to mind when you think of food that is present in meals throughout the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert), a mainstay for athletes, adored by children, and conveniently packaged in its own self-sufficient container ... Yep, you guessed it ... the Banana!
That unmistakable bright yellow color. The satisfying snap-and-pull of the peel. The grainy-yet-smooth texture that goes well in about anything, peanut butter, smoothies, on toast, or just straight from the bunch. The banana is everywhere. Except, for one remarkable stretch of history, it wasn't.
Britian, 1940: The Embargo Begins
As German naval attacks began choking off Britain's supply routes during WWII, the Minister of Food made a swift and brutal call: all banana imports were halted. Refrigerated ships were immediately converted for military use, and bananas, deemed non-essential, were the sacrificial fruit.
For adults, it was an inconvenience. But for children who had grown up treating bananas as a sweet, everyday staple, it was heartbreak.
Enter: Marguerite Patten
Can you imagine!?! No Bananas! ... instant revolt. But wait, in the midst of these dark times, an economist by the name of Marguerite Patten, took this slippery situation into her own hands. Tasked with helping the British public make the most of strict rationing, she created a multitude of "mock" recipes for beloved favorites: sausages from lentils, oyster soup from artichokes, and yes, mock bananas.
My favorite part of this history fact is that it ties in one of the more unknown vegetables, the parsnip. I discovered parsnips during my first Christmas in Ireland. While this root vegetable is widely available in the US, it really isn’t a household name, but it is sweet and delicious.
Marguerite took this amazing vegetable a step further. She mashed a boiled/roasted parsnip, added sugar and a splash of banana essence and voila a Banana-like concoction! The texture and taste, while still a banana impersonator, managed to subdue children and adults during the "banana embargo".
Mock banana recipes appeared in official government-distributed wartime cookbooks bringing a little bit of comfort back to British homes.
In 1945, when bananas were finally welcomed back to British shores, something remarkable happened. Children born during the war years had never seen one. Parents had to explain what it was, how to peel it, what to do with it. More than one account describes children attempting to eat the skin first.
Who would have thought one seemingly insignificant fruit could have such a hold on societal psyche. Another reminder that we should never take for granted the simple comforts of everyday life.
Fun Facts
The banana variety we know and love today (Cavendish) was not actually what was present in the early 20th century. It was in fact The Gros Michel, "Big Mike" that was consumed. However, during WWII, disease devastated the plantations worldwide ending 'Big Mike's' commercial existence.
There are over 1,000 varieties of bananas in the world
Bananas were first cultivated around 1000 BCE
Wartime introduced another ‘banana innovation’ and one that is still used today. Banana Ketchup was invented in the Philippines when their imports of tomatoes was hit hard by supply chain distruptions.
A banana was considered so exotic when introduced at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition that it sold for 10 cents each, a significant sum at the time
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