E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Forbidden Fruit (The),
Mahometan doctors aver, was the banana or Indian fig, because fig-leaves were employed to cover the disobedient pair when they felt shame as the result of sin. Called “Paradisaica.” Metaphorically, unlawful = forbidden indulgence.
