SC - bananas

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

>Micaylah replied to me with:
>>  > Umm. I'd hate to see a possibly rare, even one-time import of some
>>  > bananas used to justify the use of bananas as period. There appears
>>  > to be some real question as to whether that find actually dates from
>>  > within our period, at all. For more details, see this file in the
>>  > FOOD-FRUITS section of the Florilegium:
>>  > bananas-msg       (17K)  1/24/01    Period bananas. When and where
>>  > known.
>>
>>  Havent seen any updates yet refuting it. I posted the find to our
>>  Kingdom list and that was technically the last I heard. Can someone
>>  refer me to actual documentation for me to post in regards to this so i
>>  can forward it?
>
>I've not gone looking in any referance journals, but Bear (I think it
>was he) posted a good message arguing against this being a real find
>from period. That message is in the above file. That's why I mentioned
>that file. It also gives some of the info on this banana find.
>
>I think Bear's main point was that until the creation of faster
>transportation (steamship?), bananas just didn't last long enough to
>get from their point of origin to England in an edible condition.
>
>Stefan li Rous
>stefan at texas.net

I basically agree, just because one banana made it somewhere in 
Europe in late period, doesn't mean they should proliferate at SCA 
banquets.

I have read that bananas were eaten by Near Easterners in period, 
however. So perhaps at a Near Eastern banquet, although i haven't 
found a recipe that includes them yet.

Anahita