In a French Kitchen by Loomis Susan Herrmann

Author:Loomis, Susan Herrmann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-06-15T16:00:00+00:00

BANANIA

At the turn of the twentieth century, French journalist and entrepreneur Pierre-François Lardet sat on the shore of Lake Managua, in Nicaragua, sipping a tasty local beverage made with powdered banana, crushed grains, cacao, and sugar. Seduced by its flavor, he re-created it on his return to France, eventually marketing it under the name Banania, a name created by his equally entrepreneurial wife, Blanche.

It hit the market at a time when France was at the height of its colonial wealth, and both bananas and cacao were considered luxury products. The powder was immediately popular, made more so during World War I when Mr. Lardet shipped a trainload of the powder to French soldiers on the front. These included Senegalese shooters (infantry from Senegal who were particularly skilled with rifles) universally admired for their courage and joyful kindness. The smiling face of a Senegalese soon decorated the Banania box, and the drink—which was also a cereal—became a breakfast fixture, promising nutrition to a war-torn population.

The French affection for Banania has never waned, its production never faltered. Today it includes wheat flour and malt, and honey as well as sugar. There are many versions of it now—some with the smiling Senegalese, some without. Banania takes up a large share of the powdered chocolate shelf in the supermarket, and the French breakfast table, where children daily dip their tartine au beurre into a bowl of steaming hot chocolate.

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