Bananas are sweet, soft tropical fruits. When very ripe, they bring sweetness and moisture to cakes, breads and smoothies.
- Botanical name
- Musa species
- Family
- Musaceae
- Part used
- Fruit
- Flavor
- Sweet, creamy
- Ripening
- Green to yellow to spotted brown
History
Bananas were first cultivated in Southeast Asia and New Guinea thousands of years ago. They spread to India, Africa and the Pacific, and were taken to the Americas in the sixteenth century. They became a major export fruit in the twentieth century.
Where it comes from
Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea.
Where it is used most
Eaten fresh worldwide, and cooked in banana bread, pancakes and desserts. In India and Africa, plantains and raw bananas are cooked as vegetables.
Varieties and types
Cavendish is the common export banana. Others include red bananas, lady finger and plantains, which are starchier.
Flavor and how to use it
Very ripe, spotted bananas are the sweetest and mash easily for baking. Freeze overripe bananas peeled for later use.
Buying, storing and substitutes
Keep at room temperature until ripe, then refrigerate (the skin darkens but the fruit stays fine). Applesauce can replace banana in some baking.
Recipes that use it
Photo credit: Engin Akyurt on Pexels.