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> Desperate, the predecessors of Chiquita and Dole switched production [from the Gros Michel] to a banana they knew to be resistant to Panama disease, despite i

• andrewla 7y ago
  It might be urban legend, but apparently banana-flavored candy imitates the flavor of the Gros Michel, which is why it doesn’t really taste like a “banana” as we know it.
• dmcdm 7y ago
  A much repeated myth regarding the Gros Michel is the reason that artificial banana flavoring tastes so "strong" to the point of being "obviously fake" to modern consumers is its basis on the flavor of Gros Michel, vs the much milder Cavendish they are accustomed to. This is apparently just a myth, but regardless I guess some say Cavendish tastes like artificial banana. http://hoaxes.org/weblog/comments/was_artificial_banana_flavor_based_on_the_gros_michel_banana http://hoaxes.org/weblog/comments/was_artificial_banana_flav...
• diego_moita 7y ago
  > What I'm eating is relatively bland? If you don't live in a tropical country, yes. Bananas in temperate countries taste like Styrofoam. I don't know if this is a problem specific with the Cavendish or because the bananas aren't ripened in the plant, but in Africa and South America (and probably Southern Asia) bananas have a far more intense flavor. Same happens to guavas. Mangoes and passion fruit, however, keep the same strong flavor.