Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World (Dan Koeppel)
A popular history of the banana, including disease threats.
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In the 1870s, construction began on a railway linking San José to the Caribbean port of Limón. American businessman Minor C. Keith planted bananas along the line to provide freight. In 1899 his business merged into the United Fruit Company, which went on to wield enormous influence across the region.
Bananas are still one of Costa Rica’s main agricultural exports, grown mostly in the Caribbean lowlands. Labour conditions and agrochemical use have long been debated, and certification schemes try to address them.
Further reading
The Fish That Ate the Whale (Rich Cohen)
A biography of banana magnate Sam Zemurray.
View on AmazonBananas: An American History (Virginia Scott Jenkins)
How the banana became America’s fruit.
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