Isoamyl acetate, the chemical which is traditionally used for artificial banana flavor, was first synthesized in the UK where it was marketed as Jargonelle pear flavor. Companies importing it to the US believed that the American public wouldn't be interested in pear candy, so they decided to call it banana flavor instead.

Also, as an aside, Lecroy now sells "sunshine" flavored sparkling water which I'm 90% sure is flavored with isoamyl acetate. I think they just decided to lean into the fact that it tastes distinctly fruity, but not like any one fruit in particular.

Like raspberry.

They usually single out one or two compounds out of dozens which make up the flavor profile, pair it with citric acid and sugar in whatever ratio, and call it good. If they actually synthesized a complex, realistic fruit taste, your laffy taffy would cost about as much as a fine bottle of perfume, which is where they DO pull many compounds together to create an immersive profile.

I don't know but Smurfs candy seems accurate for me

You ever seen a blue raspberry?

Wtf is that flavor?

Watermelon Jolly Rancher Gang represent

When I ate orange(fruit) after many months of eating orage flavoured stuff, I tasted the orange flavour mixed along with a bunch of flavours in the fruit. It was very faint though.

Does cinnamon really taste like this?

Because the artificial banana taste is based on a kind of banana that doesn't exist anymore, so its very inaccurate compared to the taste of actual bananas that people know

edit: apparently that's not true, TIL

Got the process backwards. The early flavoring was designed by finding something with a strong scent or flavor and then labeling it as whatever they thought it was closest to or would sell best.

Less "finally, this tastes like banana" and more "I bet no one will complain if I call this banana".

Wasn't Hank Green who made a video about that?

https://lemmy.world/comment/22286349

Hank green did a video about that where he tasted a gros michele and if I'm remembering correctly he said it didn't really taste like the candy

I'm the other asshole, who's seen someone on YouTube trying a Gros Michele banana and saying it doesn't taste like the candy flavour. Maybe this just was as close as they could get to the flavour back in the day. And then, once established, this became "banana" forever and ever.

I also heard that the reason Big Mike was the dominant banana of choice for so long and the Cavendish was not is because the fruit companies firmly believed that the Cavendish was too disgusting in comparison and no one would ever buy it.

#dominantbanana

I read your entire comment, and didn't see the edit at the bottom until later. I feel like hundreds of people are doing the same thing and you're helping to perpetuate the myth.

Whenever I post a comment and I'm wrong, I strike it out. I suggest you do the same.

~~this syntax produces this:~~

this syntax produces this:

(Note: You have to strike out each paragraph individually.)

It's myth. Don't trust AI.

"A food history myth is that artificial banana flavor was specifically developed from the Gros Michel, but isoamyl acetate is a simple compound and was not based on any specific cultivar."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gros_Michel

Thank you for your service! You saved me from having to do it haha.

counterpoint: https://youtu.be/I9ZtvpBoXzI

TL;DW banana candy does not taste like gros michel either

There are still places you can get the good bananas but they are not very common anymore

That disease did the world a favor.

I mean .. Do any of the laffy taffy flavors taste like the real fruits?