Banana bread is a type of sweet bread made from mashed bananas. It is often a moist and sweet quick bread but some recipes are yeast raised. History Banana bread recipes began to feature in well-known cookbooks across North America as baking soda and baking powder were being mass produced and becoming available in grocery stores 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. National Banana Bread Day is February 23. Bananas appeared in the US in the 1870s and it took a while for them to appear as ingredient items for desserts. The modern banana bread recipe began being published in cookbooks around the 1930s and its popularity was greatly helped by the introduction of baking powder on the market. Some food historians believe banana bread was a byproduct of the Great Depression as resourceful housewives did not wish to throw away overripe bananas (as they were still a costly item to purchase), others believe the modern banana bread was developed in corporate kitchens to promote flour and baking soda products. It could also be a combination of both theories, insofar as being developed in a corporate kitchen to promote flour and baking soda products, as well as marketed as a method to make use of overripe bananas. Banana bread experienced a resurgence in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, thought to be because the ingredients were cheap, a trend against food waste, and as a nostalgic treat. In the Philippines, banana bread is usually called "banana cake." It was introduced during the American colonial period of the Philippines. Variations Banana raisin bread Banana nut bread (often featuring chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans or almonds) Chocolate chip banana bread (featuring chocolate chips) Banana bread muffins Banana Crumble Bread Vegan banana bread (made without eggs or dairy products) Blueberry banana bread (or other fruits such as raspberry or orange to add additional flavours) See also Banana cake Bánh chuối, a banana cake from Vietnam List of American breads List of banana dishes List of quick breads List of sweet breads Pumpkin bread Zucchini bread Carrot bread References External links Quick breads Sweet breads Banana dishes American breads