How did bananas get to Africa?
And genetic evidence from other studies suggests that bananas were first introduced from New Guinea into southeast Asia. From there sea traders could have brought them to East Africa across the Indian Ocean.
When was bananas introduced to Africa?
The earliest documentary reference to bananas in Africa is from the sixth century A.D. Historians and archaeologists often thought that bananas were probably introduced to Africa via Madagascar, which was colonized by people from Southeast Asia in the first millennium A.D.
Who introduced bananas in Eastern Africa?
Bananas originated in South East Asia and Indochina (Simmonds, 1962), where the earliest domestication of bananas occurred. According to Price (1995), bananas were introduced into East Africa by Arab traders over 2000 years ago.
Who invented banana?
In 327 BC, when Alexander The Great and his army invaded India, he discovered banana crop in the Indian Valleys. After tasting this unusual fruit for the first time, he introduced this new discovery to the Western world. By 200 AD bananas had spread to China.
Who first cultivated bananas?
It is probable that bananas arrived in India, Indonesia, Australia, and Malaysia, within the first two millennia after domestication. Plantains may have been grown in eastern Africa as early as 3000 BCE, and in Madagascar by 1000 BCE.
What is the oldest fruit?
THE date-palm fruit, called simply ‘date’ is also known as ‘heavenly fruit” because of its mention in religious scriptures. Even otherwise, the fruit in known since ancient days.
Why were bananas important to the Iron Age peoples of Central Africa?
Steamed, baked, fried, or boiled, the banana became the staple carbohydrate of many Central African peoples, and they washed it down with a banana beer rich in nutrients. The agricultural revolution in Central Africa was paralleled by another nutritional change as people became more skilled at catching fish.
Is Matooke an English word?
Matoke, also known as Matooke or Ibitoke, is a variety of starchy banana, commonly referred to as cooking bananas. The fruit is harvested green and then cooked and often mashed or pounded into a meal. In Uganda, it is steam-cooked and the mashed meal is one of the national dishes.