Going bananas

from The Blue Lotus Asian arts and cultures magazine issue 54

by martin bradley

Jeffrey Say Seck Leong

Going Bananas By Martin Bradley

Banana flower and fruit

If, like me, you naively believed that bananas came from Tesco, then you are in for a very rude awakening.

Our beloved banana, the world’s favourite fruit, or rather berry. Yes, bananas are officially classified as berries, originated somewhere in the Indo/Malaysian region, according to information gleaned from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, England, and many people claim that Malaysia (or Papua New Guinea) is the home of the humble (non-Cavenish) banana.

Bananas, once tasted, were later distributed across the world, firstly in India (about 500 BC), and it was there that Alexandra the Great discovered bananas and took them back to the Western world with him. By 200 AD China was growing bananas and inquisitive Arab traders, from whom the humble banana got its name (banan - finger in Arabic) spread them into the African mainland, then were taken abroad by the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonisers.

According to the tome The Herball, or General Historie of Plantes (1633 edition) by John Gerard, (edited by Thomas Johnson - herbalist and merchant), bananas were first seen in England round about 1633. Johnson describes how the fruits arrived at his shop, green, and gradually matured in his shop window. However, bananas were not imported regularly into Britain until much later, while America was officially introduced to bananas at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition and sold wrapped in tin foil (for 10 cents each).

It was Sir Joseph Paxton, Victorian gardener (and plant cultivator) who was largely responsible for the spreading of the (practical tasteless)

‘Banana money’, 10 Dollars WW2 1942-45 Malaya

‘Cavendish’ banana that the British are so fond of. That now infamous ‘bean’ was grown in a ‘hot house’ in northern England, during the 1800s.

The Cavendish banana was named after William Cavendish (1790 to 1858) who was a president of the Horticultural Society of London (later The Royal Horticultural Society). The story goes that he, and Joseph Paxton, received a shipment of bananas from Mauritius in 1834, and from that shipment began growing their own bananas at Chatsworth House. The plant derived from their efforts was called ‘Musa Cavenidishii’, or Cavendish banana (which was free of the annoying black seeds found in wild bananas). While banana recipes appeared in American recipe books during the 1880s, with banana bread being mentioned in Elenor Parkinson’s Complete Confectioner (1849), many attribute Mrs Rorer’s New Cook Book (Philadelphia, 1902), page 697 (oddly as a Hawaiian speciality), as being the true authority. Sarah Tyson Rorer (who had been the Principle of Philadelphia Cooking School) might just be responsible for banana cake/ bread being made the world over, with the later depression era of the 1930s popularising frugal use of materials at hand, including those used for banana cake/bread.

varieties of banana, especially in Malaysia. There are bananas large and bananas small, bananas sweet and bananas not so sweet. There is the original wild banana, from which all the others were cultivated, eaten only by the Orang Asli (aboriginal peoples of Malaysia) and the sweet, stubby, golden banana (pisang emas) used for making banana cake.

There is the giant green plantain (pisang tanduk) - used for savoury dishes and fried, making slim, hard, banana chips (due to size and firmness). There are a whole host of banana shapes and sizes, and while strolling through a Malaysian market I counted as many as nine different varieties of banana on one small market stall. Bananas, in Malaysia, are cooked, not just peeled and eaten raw, but served in a multitude of ways, which does not include watery, slightly suspicious, banana custard either. There is a good possibility that schools up and down Britain got the idea for their dire banana dessert from the splendid Malaysian dish – pengat pisang, which is made from the slightly tart pisang nangka (jackfruit banana), silky coconut milk and sumptuous palm sugar (called gula Melaka in Malaysia). Now if British school children had been given that, life would have been so much richer.

Cekodok pisang - banana balls, Malaysia

Then there is the deliciously ‘moreish’ banana cake, mentioned earlier, made in Malaysian households, but not with yellow banana essence, but with real mashed bananas (kek pisang), and baked until golden brown while its fragrance fills the entire household, making grown men drool - or is that only me.

There is a huge variety of banana goodies sold on the already aromatic streets of Malaysian towns and cities. Pisang raja bananas are peeled, sliced in half, covered in sweet batter, fried crisply as goreng pisang – an ever-favourite street food during cool mornings and sunset-filled evenings - especially amongst longing children.

In the early evening you can smell the sizzling oil and the slightly mustiness of the bananas from yards away and, even though recently fed, I dare you to pass a stall and not stop to sample the sweet-smelling crispy bananas. Elsewhere in Malaysia, unprepossessing yet golden bananas (pisang emas) are mashed into a paste, with flour and sugar added with the resulting mixture carefully dropped into deep, hot oil and fried as sweet ‘cekodok pisang’ balls. Recently I discovered that a sprinkling of caster sugar and powdered dark chocolate onto the banana balls really brings out the banana flavour and goes nicely with the local sweet coffee (kopi tarik) but, nice as it is, it’s not the traditional way.

Alternatively, green bananas have their outer skin removed, cut into thumb-sized pieces and curried, frequently using the same curry recipe as for fish curry, but made with salt-fish and green bananas.

While the banana fruit has its many culinary uses, purple, bulbous banana flower buds (jantung pisang), are sold in local markets, stripped down to their ‘hearts,’ then boiled or steamed, and

served with rice and hot chilli sauce (sambal), or diced and made into succulent Malay curry (gulai).

Banana leaves (daun pisang), used as plates, form the basis of the ‘banana leaf’ meal found in some Indian Malaysian restaurants, and many Indian homes throughout Malaysia. Also, banana leaves can be softened in the hot sun, and used as wrappers for the infamous nasi lemak breakfast of rice, chilli, dried anchovies etc, or used to wrap mashed bananas sprinkled with shredded coconut, then dry-fried to produce ‘maiden in a torn blouse’ (anak dara baju koyak).

Malaysia is a haven for bananas, as they are so easily propagated, usually from corm (or offshoot) of the adult plant. Banana plants need constant sunshine and heat, and suit tropical and sub-tropical temperatures. Though banana plants desire well-drained soil, when older they prefer plenty of water to produce fruit. Each banana plant only fruits once, but as they produce new plants constantly, through corms, there tends to be a ready supply. Speaking of spells - earlier I mentioned some of the Malaysian culinary uses of bananas, banana flowers and banana leaves. I will leave you with one more, a favourite of mine – roti pisang - griddled roti cannai (Malaysian oily, layered, flat bread) entrapping succulent banana slices, and taken with creamy, sweet, practically gastronomically forbidden condensed milk mmmmmm.

Once attributed to Groucho Marx, but nevertheless uttered by Anthony Oettinger is this wonderful axiom – “Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana”.

To prevent scratching and marking, also to reduce blemishes and external spots on bananas, banana ‘hands’ are often bagged in coloured polythene – white or clear polythene reduces the effect. It has also been proven that bagging effectively increases the overall weight of bananas, and improves the fruit’s quality (Sri Lankan Dept. of Agriculture, 2002).

As you may imagine, bananas have become integral to life in Malaysia. During the Japanese occupation of Malay, paper money, with images of the banana plant printed, was used as ready currency - known as Duit Pisang (banana money). In Malaysia, streets are named after bananas (Jalan Pisang – Kuala Lumpur) as are whole villages Kampung Pulau Pisang – Banana island village, Perak), even rivers Sungai Pisang – Kuching, Sarawak). Therefore, it comes as no surprise that there is at least one local myth involving bananas. Zombie Kampung Pisang (Zombies from Banana Village - 2007) is a Malaysian comedy/spoof horror film, directed by Mamat Khalid, based very loosely on local fables of brain eating zombies, but only the right kind of brain, mind you. Another legend has it that the infamous Pontianak (female vampire ghost – and spirit of a woman who died in childbirth) lives within banana plants and, should you urinate anywhere near the plant, the dastardly vampire will seize you, and drain all your blood. To save yourself, you must have a sharp object handy, as the Pontianak fears sharp objects. Other tales cite the tying of a red cord from the banana plant to your bedpost, trapping the Pontianak under your spell.

Banana cake Malaysia

COMMENTARY BY HUMANISTS

Martin Bradley

Since the 1990s, the Chinese avant-garde artist Lou Qi has regaled the world with his unique approach to Chinese traditional pictograms, termed ‘Calligraphyism’, working in a manner which parallels ‘asemic’ writing in the West, and creating fresh approaches to the understanding and enjoyment of Chinese pictograms.

From their first meeting in Hangzhou, China (2014), Luo Qi, and British writer Martin Bradley, have worked together on numerous Chinese based and international projects, and exhibitions.

This revelatory new book ‘Commentary by Humanists; Martin Bradley’ presents the author’s writings about the artist Lou Qi, his work and his working. They appear alongside insightful images by that artist to provide an holistic approach to an understanding of the exceptional Chinese Contemporary artist, poet and calligrapher who is the internationally renown Lou Qi.

Published in Cananda Publisher ‏ : ‎ Editions Fri (Francoise Issaly) (2022) Language ‏ : ‎ English Paperback ‏ : ‎ 358 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1988828074 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1988828077

https://www.amazon.co.uk

Martin Bradley

Martin Bradley is the author of a collection of poetry - Remembering Whiteness and Other Poems (2012) Bougainvillea Press; a charity travelogue - A Story of Colors of Cambodia, which he also designed (2012) EverDay and Educare; a collection of his writings for various magazines called Buffalo and Breadfruit (2012) Monsoon Books; an art book for the Philippine artist Toro, called Uniquely Toro (2013), which he also designed, also has written a history of pharmacy for Malaysia, The Journey and Beyond (2014).

Martin wrote two books about Modern Chinese Art with Chinese artist Luo Qi, Luo Qi and Calligraphyism and Commentary by Humanists Canada and China (2017 and 2022), and has had his book about Bangladesh artist Farida Zaman For the Love of Country published in Dhaka in December 2019.