Bananas

+Description

Banana plants are primarily cultivated for their fruit. These fruits are about 20 centimetres long and slightly curved. They are curved because they grow towards the sun. Bananas grow in clusters which can weigh up to 50 kg. The inner part can be eaten raw or cooked. The fruit typically has numerous strings which run between the skin and inner part. The inner part splits easily lengthwise into three strips.

+Availability

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Red Bananas and baby bananas are available from Ecuador, plantains from Ecuador and Colombia and banana leaves from Thailand

+Main nutrients

Fiber, Manganese, Potassium, Vitamin B and C.

Main varieties

Baby bananas

A normal banana is about 20 centimetres long, while the baby banana is only about 6-8 centimetres long. The baby bananas grow in bunches of 7 till 10 and are extremely sweet.
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Red bananas

Red Bananas are a variety of Bananas with a reddish-purple skin. When ripe, red Bananas have a flesh that is cream to light pink in color, and their texture is somewhat softer and sweeter than the yellow varieties.
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Plantains

Plantain is also known as cooking banana. The sweet taste of the pulp increases when cooked. Plantain can be eaten in all the different stages of ripeness. Green is unripe, yellow is middle ripe and black is ripe. The riper the sweeter!
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Banana leaves

Banana leaves are the leaves of the Banana plant. Banana leaves are commonly not eaten. The leaves are mostly used as a decorative element for dishes or to wrap food in before cooking it.
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Banana leaf cups

Banana leaf cups are made of banana leaves. The cups are made with small wooden sticks and are mainly used to serve, rice, noodles and nuts in.

Preparation

Remove the skin by peeling it. Thick skins can best be removed by cutting off the end of the fruit and cutting lengthwise into the skin. Cut the flesh into slices and eat raw or boil, bake or grill it.

Consumption

Bananas are commonly eaten raw. They are eaten out of hand or used in a great variety of dishes. Raw bananas taste delicious in desserts and salads. However bananas are also great when dried or cooked. The plantain is specially used for cooking. Both the pulp as the skin is edible.

When to eat

Bananas are ripe when they have a bright yellow or red colour and are still a bit firm. Unripe bananas are green and can be ripened at room temperature. Plantains can be eaten in the ripe and unripe stage. When bananas reach the desired stage of ripeness, they can be kept in the refrigerator to slow the ripening process.

Did you know?

Bananas are believed to be the world’s oldest fruit.
A cluster of bananas is called a hand and consists of 7 to 10 bananas, which are known as fingers.
Until the early 1800s, Hawaiian women were not allowed to eat most banana varieties. The penalty for breaking this law was a death sentence.
Plantains are also known as “potatoes of the air”, because when picked they taste like potatoes and they grow in trees.
Banana leaves are used by Hindus and Buddhists as a decorative element for marriages and ceremonies in India and Southeast Asia.