Banana bread is a local delicacy that rivals the popularity of even kalua pork. Hawaii is known for many unconventional foods and snacks, largely due to the huge mix of ethnicities and cultures in the state. Spam musubi anyone?
Hawaiian bananas are believed to have been brought over by Polynesians centuries ago. The bananas thrived in Hawaii’s lush, tropical environment. We can testify… there’s something about eating bananas grown on Maui. We only get apple bananas from local fruit stands. These are smaller, sweeter bananas that are the perfect snacking size. And when we travel to Hana, we always stock up on apple bananas… there’s something about the bananas from Hana that are even better!
When the Great Depression hit in the 1930’s, it was about the time that baking powder hit the market. It was a time when no morsel of food went to waste, even bruised, brown bananas. It’s during that era that banana bread became popular. I remember my grandmother would always make her famous banana bread with old bananas and constantly passed out loaves to family and friends.
Banana bread can be found everywhere from supermarket bakeries to roadside fruit stands. Visitors from all over the world dream about the sweet, moist, delicious banana bread that’s found in Hawaii. In fact, many claim that Maui has the most delicious banana bread in the whole world. If you ask the local residents, there are usually two sides as to who makes the best banana bread on Maui. It comes down to Aunty Sandy’s on the Keanae Peninsula and Julia’s in Kahakuloa.
Aunty Sandy’s is our personal favorite because these are such a sweet group of ladies that make the bread with kind smiles and lots of aloha. Usually the loaves are fresh & warm out of the oven. We always buy 2: one to eat warm right out of the oven on the Keanae coastline, and one to bring home. Aunty Sandy’s is the perfect stop on the Road to Hana for a quick treat! We love it so much, it’s mentioned on the R2H: Experiencing the Road to Hana & Beyond audio guide.