While we look at the banana bread recipe as a relatively simple sweet treat to whip up, the history of the banana bread recipe is actually rather impressive. Sometimes, understanding where a food comes from we can also understand the intended flavors at the time of its inception. This helps us make more historically accurate recipes.
We can not say with absolute certainty when and where the first banana bread recipe surfaced. It was likely an experiment that went over well and was copied over and over again. It was probably not documented considering the time in history. Cooking skills were passed on from either the servant or the mother to little girls who might need them some day.
If we look at the evolution of the basic banana bread recipe ingredients we can most likely gauge when the first actual recipe was handed down and where it was probably developed. All banana bread recipes are quick bread recipes. This simply means that there is no yeast used for rising in the baking process.
12, 000 years ago bread was initially developed and became a staple of the dietary needs. It began to grow onto a more flavorful and delicate recipe much later. The simplest version of bread is nothing more than wheat flour and some water that was mashed together and then placed on hot rocks. In order to speed the heating process, the flat rocks were also covered from the top with hot ash.
It has been speculated that the first actual banana bread recipe was tried. Given that the original version of bread was not very tasty, it is likely that people were gathering various elements in an attempt to make the bread taste better. It is quite possible that bananas were part of that experimental process.
It was, however, the Egyptians that were able to transform the flavor and the feel of bread. In 4, 000 BC the discovery of fermentation of bread dough was astounding. This would lead to a softer and fluffier bread product that would appeal to a wider range of tastes. Fermenting the dough before cooking it allowed gas to escape, leaving behind air pockets to soften the overall texture.
The first most obvious banana bread recipe attempt came from the Greeks. Once the Greek philosopher came up with the first ever written botany book, historians can see that there were bananas in Greece which were popular enough to be a primary local food. This meant that the lighter bread with bananas had significantly improved the taste of the food product.
Eventually these first banana bread recipe attempts would grow into what we now lovingly call banana bread through the addition of a leavening agent. In this case, the leavening agent is baking powder. This single ingredient can give the loaf just enough power to rise without turning it into a yeast bread. Baking powder was brought to the United States in 1875. This addition to the ingredients gives credence to the claim that the first banana bread recipe was developed in 18th century America.
If you want to learn how to make lots of delicious types of banana bread in your home kitchen, try these banana bread recipes written by Ben Cook. Ben suggests a moist banana bread recipe to begin with.
