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Bananas and the Fruit Companies

Agricultural region

⚠ "BANANA REPUBLIC" IS A DESCRIPTION, NOT A METAPHOR — O. Henry coined it about Honduras. From the 1890s the UNITED FRUIT COMPANY and Standard Fruit acquired enormous landholdings, built the railways and ports, ran their own towns and commissaries, and exercised political power directly: the documented record includes the 1928 massacre of striking banana workers in Colombia and the 1954 CIA-backed overthrow of the Guatemalan government after it moved to expropriate uncultivated United Fruit land for land reform. The coasts of Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua were reshaped around the crop, and the WEST INDIAN and Garifuna labour force was recruited to work it. ⚠ PANAMA DISEASE destroyed the Gros Michel variety by the 1950s and forced the switch to Cavendish, which is now itself threatened by a new strain. ⚠ THE PLANTATION IS THE REASON THE CARIBBEAN COAST LOOKS AS IT DOES.

Atlas — where and when

Where in the world

Communities and languages

Languages: Spanish, English, Garifuna

What is recorded

  • The United Fruit Company is formed from the merger of the Boston Fruit Company and Minor Keith’s Central American holdings. documented
  • The United Fruit Company and Standard Fruit acquired extensive landholdings from the 1890s and built railways, ports and company towns across the Caribbean coasts of Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua, recruiting West Indian and Garifuna labour. The 1954 overthrow of the Guatemalan government followed land reform affecting uncultivated United Fruit holdings. Panama disease destroyed the Gros Michel cultivar by the 1950s, forcing the industry-wide switch to Cavendish, which a newer strain now threatens. documented
  • Panama disease destroys the Gros Michel banana; the industry converts to Cavendish. documented

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

  • related to American documented

    ⚠ United Fruit and Standard Fruit were American corporations exercising direct political power; the 1954 Guatemalan coup followed land reform affecting United Fruit holdings.

  • related to Colombian Food History documented

    The 1928 massacre of striking banana workers at Santa Marta belongs to the same corporate history.

Recorded as relating to this foodway

Recipes

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