All information about tropical fruits and everything about bananas can be found here. A series of articles discusses common tropical fruits from A-Z. In this third article you will find all information, including origin, processing, use and cultivation of the tropical fruit:Banana.
The banana has been an important source of food since time immemorial and, according to archaeologists, originates from Southeast Asia. Today, bananas grow in most tropical regions of the world. India produces more bananas than any other country.
Banana trees have a false trunk. That is, the trunk consists of a mass of interlocking leaves. After about nine months, a long flower stem grows from the trunk, from which the bananas eventually grow. The bananas grow in combs (these are usually called hands). Each comb or hand has 10 to 20 bananas. Bananas are harvested unripe (green) and only change color after harvest.
Banana plants are now also available in garden centers. However, these serve more for decoration than they are really intended to bear fruit, after all, the living room climate is not suitable for that.
New banana plants grow through offshoots next to the 'mother' plant. After the harvest, the trunk must be cut down and new shoots/plants should be dug out and planted elsewhere.
Each banana variety has a slightly different banana plant:one species stays small, the other grows big. One has many leaves, the other has quite thin and few leaves.
The dessert – or fruit banana :this banana is slightly curved, between 15 – 30 cm in size. After harvest, the banana is yellow-green, but after ripening, the dessert banana turns completely yellow with black dots. The taste is slightly sweet. This is the most popular banana, available in stores all year round.
Fried banana :The baking or cooking banana is intended to eat after baking or cooking. Raw, this type of banana is not digestible. The baking or cooking banana is quite large with a length of 30 – 40 cm. The color varies from green, yellow to reddish.
Red bananas :the red banana is 12 cm long and as the name implies, red in color. The flesh is cream to light pink. The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. Please note:this banana should NEVER be consumed in combination with milk, this is a deadly combination!
Apple banana :the apple banana is only 8-10 cm, with a fresh sweet taste that is somewhat comparable to an apple. The banana has a thin skin, ripens quickly and then turns from green-yellow to yellow. The apple banana is one of the finest types of banana and delicious to eat neat.
Baby banana :the smallest of the bananas is the baby banana, measuring only 6 – 8 cm. The banana is also called rice banana or pisang susu. The taste of this baby banana is very sweet.
Golden Banana :the banana is 12 cm in size, slightly larger than the apple banana. It is a beautiful golden yellow banana with an aromatic, sweet taste. The flesh is yellow-pink in colour.
Bananas are rich in carbohydrates and minerals such as potassium and phosphorus. Bananas also contain vitamin C (10 mg per 100 grams). The natural sugars in bananas are an excellent source of energy and therefore very popular with athletes, but also children.
Bananas for a healthy diet
Ripe bananas are a popular baby food because they are easily digestible and rarely cause allergic reactions in little ones (in adults they can sometimes trigger migraines).
Bananas are given for stomach complaints and diarrhoea, often in combination with rice, applesauce and toast. The soft taste and texture also makes bananas popular with people with stomach ulcers. The bananas are said to promote cell and mucus production in the stomach lining. They thicken the stomach lining, helping existing ulcers and preventing new ones. Please note:there is evidence for this!
Bananas are rich in potassium, an important mineral for muscle and nerve function. Potassium also helps regulate blood pressure.
Pisangs (cooking or cooking bananas) contain more starch than bananas because they are eaten before they are fully ripe. According to certain research, a diet with a lot of indigestible starch would reduce the incidence of stomach and colon cancer. This theory is being further investigated to determine whether starch is just as important as fiber in preventing stomach and colon cancer.
Most bananas can be bought ripe, with the exception of the baking and cooking bananas. Cooking bananas are used unripe and plantains should be overripe (the skin is then black to almost mouldy).
Ripe bananas can be kept for a few days at a cool temperature (12°C), but never in the refrigerator. When stored in the refrigerator, the so-called low-temperature spoilage occurs. The skin turns black, the banana no longer ripens and spoils.
In most cases, peeling the banana is done by hand and the banana can be used immediately. However, the peel of the cooking banana is very firm and must be removed by cutting it over the convex side and stripping the peel off. Unripe bananas can secrete a milky liquid during peeling:make sure that this does not come into contact with the clothing, because this liquid can no longer be removed from clothing! Rinse the banana with water after peeling, if this liquid is present.
Do you like tropical fruits? Then read my other articles in the series tropical fruits:avocado, pineapple and prickly pear
