February 23 is National Banana Bread Day.

According to Wikipedia, “Banana bread first became a standard feature of American cookbooks with the popularization of baking soda and baking powder in the 1930s. It appeared in Pillsbury’s 1933 Balanced Recipes cookbook, and later gained more acceptance with the release of the original Chiquita Banana’s Recipe Book in 1950.”

Who is this Chiquita Banana? Funny you should ask…

Chiquita Banana commercial (1940s)

I’m Chiquita Banana and I’ve come to say
Bananas have to ripen in a certain way.
When they’re flecked with brown and have a golden hue
Bananas taste the best and are the best for you…

The Chiquita website says the famous jingle “was written to help teach Americans how to ripen and use bananas, which were, at the time, an exotic tropical fruit.” The commercial was shown in movie theaters. Read more about the Chiquita jingle

Related article

• National Banana Bread Day (nationaldaycalendar.com)