Much ink has been spilled in favor of the banana pancake. The harmonious marriage between banana, batter, butter, and syrup has been with us for generations – a tried and true combination to be sure. But consider, for a moment, the humble blueberry pancake.
From the perspective of preparation, the banana pancake is clearly outclassed; no slicing or peeling necessary. Simply toss a handful of god’s chosen berry into the batter and get ready for your gastronomic adventure to begin. Second – and more importantly – the physical properties of the blueberry are ideal for promoting an even distribution of fruit suspended in batter. The oblate spheroid shape of the blueberry promotes diffuse Rayleigh scattering (the perfect amount of fruit in every bite) in contrast to the inelastic Landsberg distribution (clumped fruit and chaos) brought about by the cylindrical shape of banana slices.
The average diameter of a banana slice is about 66 millimeters (see ‘Some Physical Properties of Full-Ripe Banana Fruit’, Soltani, Alimardani and Omid, 2011). As shown in previous posts the ideal Schelling depth of a pancake for promoting even syrup absorption is approximately 25 millimeters. With a diameter larger than the depth of the pancake itself, banana slices invariably cause the dreaded ‘Flat Coin Syndrome’ that pancake enthusiasts are all too familiar with. Reichardt, Gershowitz, and Feltholdn (2014) have proposed a new slicing technique to prevent this problem involving quadrilateral incisions along the median to ensure a closer approximation of Rayleigh scattering; however their experimental methods are dubious at best and even the most optimistic interpretation of their result leaves bananas in a different class than blueberries.
Consider further the terpene profile of the blueberry. Blueberry is α-terpinolene dominant with strong trans-β-ocimene and limonene components (as shown by Luderberg, Whipperplum, and Flanderghast 2004). As I’m sure you all know, these terpenes are classic vanillin catalysts and harmonize seamlessly with the terpene profile of maple syrup. Bananas, being myrcene dominant, are a poor match for syrup and only serve to obfuscate the vanillin, hydroxybutanone, and propionaldehyde of maple (Ladefoget, Harissbillin, and Yogerbutel 2008).
Given these factors it’s hard to believe that the banana pancake still retains such a significant plurality of the American fruit pancake market. This circumstance can only be explained by entrenched cultural habits and socially reinforced implicit biases. Unlearning these biases will be difficult, but it can and must be done. I believe that we as a species deserve better. We must strive to be better. We must fight to be better. Make no mistake, this is a war. Which side are you on? Do you fight for truth and order and progress or convenience and chaos and fear?
We are at a crossroads in our history and I have no intention of one day telling my grandchildren that I stood idly and watched as the world allowed pomp and circumstance dictate their choice of pancake. Give me blueberry pancakes or give me death.
lost in ambulation 
Let there be no mistake – the banana pancake is the superior of the two pancakes under discussion.
First, let us attack this historically. The primary commercial blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, is a native to the North American continent, as are several other prominent members of the Vaccinium family identified as “blueberries.” And yet, in his heavily researched book The Scottish Bannock and its Culinary Descendants, Dr. Leo Carmine notes that the first recorded description of a blueberry pancake by Europeans in North America did not come until 1805, in a letter home written by Private Thomas Howard of the Corps of Discovery Expedition. One must ask oneself why such an obvious culinary innovation was not made sooner. It’s popularity grew and held, and yet it remains in the minority; as is noted by Carter, the banana holds the plurality of the fruit pancake marked in the USA according to several surveys completed by both the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain and the International Food Policy Research Institute.
The banana, in contrast to the blueberry, despite only existing in its current mass-produced form since the 50s, has generated enormous popularity and usage as a pancake additive. One significant reason for this popular support is, simply, its economic efficacy. Whereas blueberries do have a season, thus resulting in a subpar flavor profile from stored and refrigerated berries for some 6 months out of the year, the banana has been bred and developed to be shipped, stored, and – as a climacteric fruit – ripened for use year-round, resulting in a standardized flavor profile consumers are familiar with during all seasons (it should also be noted that the uniformity of bananas is a distinct advantage to loose blueberries sold in containers, where often one can find mushy or unripe blueberries masquerading as tasty ones). Relatedly, Carter has overlooked the availability and pricing of bananas in America: simply put, the banana is the fruit of the masses, while blueberries have traditionally been eaten by the rich or those living in more northern climes. Indeed, an economic study by W.R. Blaubrutto and J. Nobato in American Journal of Agricultural Economics determined that over from 2008-2016, the average price per pound of supermarket ready, non-organic bananas was $0.57, with a σ-value of 0.07 and a range of fluctuation between yearly averages of $0.18. In contrast, blueberries cost a total average of $2.47 per pound, with a σ-value of 0.74 and a range of fluctuation of $3.19, with a significant skew towards higher prices compared to the total average (an unfortunate result of their limited seasonal growth). In short, blueberries are significantly more costly. They are the fruit of the One Percent.
Part of Carter’s argument hinges on the preparation of a fruit pancake and the advantages engendered by the blueberries’ physical properties. With regards to his take on preparation, first let’s note that while it is true that peeling and slicing are required for the banana pancake, the peel provides a natural barrier against dirt and other unpleasantness intruding from outside world. In addition, the peel means that there is no washing required, as there is for blueberries. It also ensures that there are no latent stems or leaves, as can be found amongst poorly harvested blueberries. Furthermore, the slicing of the banana provides the freedom to choose the shape and size of the pieces in the pancake. Carter undermines his own argument against alternative slicing techniques by noting that Reichardt, Gershowitz, and Feltholdn (2014) used faulty experimental methods – as a result, their paper should be entirely disregarded. Furthermore, his reference to Soltani et al.’s 2011 study in the International Journal of Agricultural Science Research and Technology discusses their predictive modeling of an average banana slice based on carefully measured dimensions for the purposes of industrial processing, as opposed to a practical and varied slicing performed by a lone cook in a kitchen. In fact, while the traditional slicing method for bananas can result in poor macroscale Rayleigh scattering, as noted by Carter, the blueberry creates a far more insidious problem with regards to a loss of pancake integrity precisely because of its depth. Reaching all the way or almost all the way through, blueberries form breaks in the gluten polymer complex formed by the pancake batter, possibly resulting in catastrophic structural failure of the whole pancake; the average banana slice, on the other hand, does not sink in as deeply as a result of both its surface area and its dynamic sizing – often at least half of the depth of the pancake gluten complex is maintained beneath a banana slice.
The blueberry cannot be manipulated into different shapes/sizes as a banana can, without destroying the practical integrity of the fruit itself. While this is an option, the excess juices and acids in the blueberry – relative to that of the banana – can be detrimental to the primary leavening process of the standard pancake, which is the decomposition of NaHCO3, household baking soda (Bellido et al. 2009). While the baking soda typically is decomposed through heating, if the exocarp of a blueberry is compromised, the acids will spill out and react with the baking soda, resulting in flat and objectively depressing pancakes. The poor gas development during the gluten matrix softening phase of the cooking process is avoidable if the blueberries maintain their structural integrity (Mís, Nawrocka, & Dziki 2016), but with bananas this is not even a risk. Using the jus capteur method of determining water-holding capacity of fruits, Van Oeckel and Sørenson (2008) determined that the peeled banana contains approximately 3% of the liquid per gram relative to the intact blueberry. Juiciness has a secondary – and perhaps more alarming – issue relative to the consumption of the pancake. Given the high water content of the blueberry and its semi-elastic skin, blueberries that don’t pop are heated much faster than the surrounding pancake. As a result, they remain at a higher temperature than the rest of the pancake, causing burns to the sensitive tongue and cheeks even well after the dough itself has cooled. The difference in temperature is so great that a subject who is eating the pancake is left with two options, each unpleasant: they can choose to eat the pancake while the dough is still hot and thus risk burning by molten blueberry, or they can wait for the blueberries to cool sufficiently, thus leaving the pancake itself to become unappetizingly moist and rubbery.
Let us turn from the scientific once again to the more subjective. Carter claims that blueberries are superior in combination with syrup – relative to bananas – offering up an explanation based on the terpenes of the two fruits. And while this may be true for lighter amber maple syrups, he neglects the obvious benefits that the banana has with dark amber syrups. As a result of the sucropyrolytic reaction, a semi-caramelization takes place on the surface of the banana slices, leading to that “dark” flavor that has made both rum and vanilla classic flavor complements to the banana for centuries in the Caribbean. However, I think the only true argument to be made around this point about maple syrup is that it will come down to preference of each individual, and there has yet to be a comprehensive survey conducted regarding these preferences.
On a note related to toppings, though, it should be noted that the banana offers several additional and rather unique combinations. For one, topping with chocolate and whipped cream, or perhaps even ice cream, and one has a pancake twist on the banana split. Or looking for a healthier option? Try topping it with peanut butter! Banana and peanut butter is an unassailable flavor combination, and now it’s coming to your mouth warm and surrounded by pancake. Or just simply add some roasted pecans or honey-roasted peanuts or experiment on your own! The more subtle flavor profile and the unsour nature of the banana make it far more prone to tasty flavor combinations.
We should all fear demagogues in our world – people who seek to lead through propaganda and rabble-rousing. Carter offers some fair points, and I am certainly not here to rid the world of blueberry pancakes. However, in this case, there is a reason why the status quo has become as such – banana pancakes are objectively superior to the blueberry pancakes. In the world of pancakes, bananas are the better berry.
It has become the trend in modern cooking academia to argue against the accepted theories. I believe Carter has fallen victim to this zeitgeist. His piece reads one-sidedly like that of a culinary radical, but in his heart I fear he knows that his bias against the banana pancake has less to do with the banana fruit itself than it does to do with its place at the top of the fruit pancake world. All of this is not to argue against new ideas. For scientific progress, theories must be challenged! But if they fail to fall, we must accept that.
Revolutions should happen, but only when they are supporting positive progress. This is not a revolution that can or should happen. Let us continue to celebrate the hegemony of the banana pancake with all of the pomp and circumstance it so rightly deserves.
LikeLike