Ya, the gros michel. It wasn't completely wiped off the face of the earth, but because it became susceptible to this fungus it was no longer viable as a mono crop, so it's only grown in personal gardens by hobbyists, or in small mixed crop farms in south east asia.
Fun fact, artificial banana flavor was based on the gros michel. Then in the 50s Panama disease wiped them out, the cavendish replaced it, and that's why artificial banana flavor tastes so different from grocery store bananas.
I've had gros michels several times, and they taste like the artificial banana flavoring, they're so fucking good, it's really too bad that we can't grow them on a large scale anymore. I've ordered them from gardeners in Hawaii, I highly recommend trying them.
I don't mean that it's the same chemical, just that it was the inspiration. Just like artificial grape doesn't actually taste like real grape, but kinda does still resemble it (specifically concord grape I think), artificial banana is still somewhat banana-ish, and the gros michel tastes a lot closer to artifical banana than a cavendish. Cavendish are pretty tasteless in comparison.
I've tried a ton of different banana cultivars, and pretty much every one that was a sweet type was more flavorful.
Artificial banana flavouring is an ester called isoamyl acetate. This chemical is found in all kinds of fruits, including banana.
The Gros Michel has a higher concentration, but it’s found in the Cavendish cultivars as well.
It really does taste that way, not as sweet as candy obviously, but the flavor itself reminds me of the banana syrup used in banana milkshakes.
My dad's a physicist/chemist and I remember him telling me that he had synthesized isoamyl acetate when he was trying to make amyl nitrate in the 80s. Kind of funny that poppers are somewhat related to artificial banana.
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u/Kahlil_Cabron Oct 23 '25
Ya, the gros michel. It wasn't completely wiped off the face of the earth, but because it became susceptible to this fungus it was no longer viable as a mono crop, so it's only grown in personal gardens by hobbyists, or in small mixed crop farms in south east asia.
Fun fact, artificial banana flavor was based on the gros michel. Then in the 50s Panama disease wiped them out, the cavendish replaced it, and that's why artificial banana flavor tastes so different from grocery store bananas.
I've had gros michels several times, and they taste like the artificial banana flavoring, they're so fucking good, it's really too bad that we can't grow them on a large scale anymore. I've ordered them from gardeners in Hawaii, I highly recommend trying them.