Podcast:History Dispatches Published On: Wed Feb 18 2026 Description: One of the most ubiquitous and highest selling foods in the United States is the banana. From the big box Walmart, to your local mom and pop grocery store everyone sells them. But the banana we eat today is very different from less than a century ago. And that is because the banana we used to eat almost went extinct. This is the story of why bananas used to taste so different. Sources https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/history-of-the-gros-michel-banana https://www.planthealthaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Panama-disease-FS.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavendish_banana https://www.britannica.com/science/Panama-disease History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices