Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I’m probably diving into another bag of newly flavored M&M’s. This time it’s Banana Nut Bread, and I won’t lie, these are pretty addictive.
I gave one to my pet lab assistant Scrumps for a blind taste test, and the slimy little ghoul smiled and pointed to a half-eaten jar of peanut butter in the fridge. Fair enough. If blindfolded, I, too, might have guessed a more plantain-based nut spread.
Knowing what I was about to put in my mouth, I could taste the nutty notes of banana bread with an instant oral sense of recognition. Pretty yummy in my book.
I haven’t been a fan of M&M’s more recent high-profile flavor releases. M&M’s Caramel Cold Brew was particularly hard for me to choke down. They sat at the bottom of my mini fridge for at least a month. I’d eat one or two, grimace, drawer them away, only to return a day or two later for another try. It was a struggle all the way to the bottom of the bag.
This time, the Banana Nut Bread M&M’s disappeared lickety-split. I think I ate an entire sharing size in one sitting. I’m a fan of banana-flavored anything, which is ironic, maybe?
I can’t eat real bananas. I’m allergic, and just a few bites turn me violently ill. I know our banana-flavored products don’t actually taste like today’s bananas.
Did you know most banana flavoring extract is based on a breed of banana that disappeared? What we are tasting is the Gros Michel banana, aka “Big Mike.” A destructive soil fungus wiped out the Gros Michel from commercial farming in the 1950s and 1960s, but its distinct flavor has stuck around.
Well? That’s the popular theory, anyway. While the Gros Michel banana was known for its sweet flavor, there’s little solid evidence that modern banana flavoring is “specifically” based on it. The familiar taste may come from a combination of flavor compounds that can be recreated without using the fruit itself. So, we might be tasting the ghost of Big Mike, but we can’t say for sure.
Doesn’t matter. There aren’t any “real” bananas in this new flavored bag. But we do get a peanut, which is my favorite genre of M&M.
The banana taste here is smooth and subtle. It’s not overwhelming, like sticking a Wacky Waffer in your mouth. The warm, nutty finish is a total comfort blanket for your tongue. It’s as sweet and pleasant as a kiss from your friend’s hot grandma.
I highly recommend you go get a bag. Apparently, they are only available at the Kroger stable of food pantries. Lucky me, I’ve got a Fred Meyer right here near the lab, and they were on sale. If these things hit the discount bin, I’m scooping.
These things are limited edition, so you’d better stock up. I think one bag is a-OK with me for now. Scrumps gives it one dirty claw up. I’m gonna say it’s an 8 on the ten-bag scale.
