Banana. The favorite fruit of minions.
Remember the ‘ba-ba-ba-nana’ song? I bet if you live on earth, you must have heard it at least once. But, have you ever wondered, why they chose this fruit to sing a song about?
Let me tell you why. Banana isn’t a plain, boring, yellow-colored fruit, which most of us are sure of, that it is! This fruit comes in many different shapes, sizes, and colors that you can’t even imagine.
If I tell you, that there are over 22 types of Bananas which are different from each other, would you agree?
Though, all of them still have the same weird shape that makes everyone giggle.. (can’t help it). But today, no matter what, I will enlighten your brains, with all the varieties of this amazing, filling and creamy fruit that exists on this very planet-
1. Lady Finger Banana
📍 Origin- Southeast Asia, Australia
Unlike its name, it has nothing to do with Lady’s finger. The fruit is medium in size which is fragrant in nature and the flesh is sweet and really delicious in taste.
2. Red Banana
📍 Origin- West Indies and Central America
Do you see how beautiful and rich the color is? I am in love with these bananas. Sadly, I haven’t tasted it yet. But people say that its flesh is cream to light pink in color which is soft and sweet. And that these fruits have a slight mango flavor, some have an earthy flavor.
3. Gros Michel Banana
📍 Origin- Martinique, Jamaica
These small and compact bananas are packed with some strong banana flavors. The flesh is soft and immensely rich in texture. I guess that’s why they eat a lot of banana cakes in Jamaica.
4. Blue Java Banana
📍 Origin- Southeast Asia down to Northern Australia
The silvery blue colored bananas have blown my mind. Even though they become yellow when they ripen, but in their unripe state, they look absolutely gorgeous. The unique thing about this banana is that it has an ice-cream like consistency and flavor reminiscent of vanilla.
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5. Señorita Banana
📍 Origin- Philippines
These bananas are very small and stout. But don’t you get fooled by their appearance. These little beauties are known for being extraordinarily sweet. Almost like sugar.
6. Dwarf Cavendish Banana
📍 Origin- Canary Islands
Dwarf Cavendish bananas are thin-skinned. But the interesting thing about the fruit is that it has a taste similar to a sweet apple. Yeah, a banana that tastes like a sweet apple. I ain’t kidding.
7. Pisang Awak Banana
📍 Origin- Widely Distributed
Even though the fruit size is small, don’t think that it isn’t flavorful. These bananas are the ones you might have eaten as it is found worldwide. So, yeah, you probably know the taste of it.
8. Rhino Horn Bananas
📍 Origin- Africa
This banana is the longest fruit among bananas. And don’t ask why is it originating from Africa? Ok, just don’t. LOL. Coming back to the fruit, it has a rich creamy flesh and tastes mildly sweet.
9. Saba Banana
📍 Origin- Philippines
The taste of these bananas from the Philippines is very dependent on the ripeness of the fruit. They come distinctively in squarish and angular shapes. The flesh is white and starchy and is ideal for cooking.
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10. Latundan Banana
📍 Origin- Philippines
These beautiful rich yellow colored bananas are small in size. But strangely, they have a slightly acidic, apple-like flavor to its flesh when it reaches the ripe state.
11. Grand Nain Banana
📍 Origin- Southeast Asia
The green-colored banana still has a greenish hue when people consume it. It has less fat content and is very healthy for breakfast purposes.
12. Goldfinger Banana
📍 Origin – Honduras, Central America
The compact and tiny fruit may be small in size but has a very rich, creamy and smooth flesh. It has a sweet taste and is used widely in the dessert.
13. Karat Banana
📍 Origin- Pacific islands, Pohnpei and the Federated States of Micronesia
I know this doesn’t even look like a banana but trust me it is. Even though it is very small in size, you will be amazed to see that it has bright orange flesh, which is very rich in β-carotene. Even stranger, when cooked, this fruit tastes like strawberries.
14. Nanjanagud Banana
📍 Origin- India
This is what I am talking about. Did you know this Indian-origin banana is famous for its unique taste and aroma? No, right? Apparently, the fruit grows up to the size of 15 to 20 cm and has the richest texture which isn’t found in any other variety of bananas.
15. Manzano Banana
📍 Origin: Tropical countries like Central and South America, the Caribbean and Mexico
An origin of the tropical area, Manzano is also known as ‘apple bananas’ which are tiny and plump and have thick peel and creamy flesh. It has a tangy and sweet taste like an apple in its raw form. It gains tropical notes of strawberry and pineapple as it ripens which tastes the best. The best time to eat this banana is when it has dark spots or it turns completely black.
16. Praying Hands Banana
📍 Origin: Indonesia
The Banana’s appearance is the reason for its name. If you look closely, you will find that the bananas look like two hands joined together. Its look is not the unique aspect, its flesh has got a marshmallow-like texture which is fluffy outside and chewy inside. It is mildly sweet with a noticeable vanilla flavour.
17. Orinoco Banana
📍 Origin: South America
Orinoco Bananas have a soft and silky texture that it gains upon maturity along with a fibrous core. It is a starchy variety with a sweet flavour which is preferred to be used in cooking rather than eating raw. You can prepare multiple cuisines using just this one banana.
18. Fehi Banana
📍 Origin: New Guinea
The craze for Fehi Banana could have been lost if it weren’t for scientific research that concluded that it has high levels of carotenoids that are converted to vitamin A when in the body. These bananas have orange to red skin that yields yellow to orange flesh which is consumed either roasted or boiled.
19. Macho Plantain Banana
📍 Origin: Florida
Macho Plantain Banana can taste anywhere between deep sweet and sour taste or sometimes it can be a blend of both. Raw banana is mostly bland and extremely hard to peel whereas it becomes sweeter and softer upon ripening. People like to saute it in butter or roast it on the grill to consume it.
20. Pisang Raja Banana
📍 Origin: Indonesia
Also Known as Musa Belle banana, Pisang Raja is extremely popular in the preparation of banana pancakes in Indonesia. Its mildly grainy-creamy texture and sweet flavour make it the right fit to enhance the basic flavours of the pancake. You can spot this banana by noticing that its pulp is darker and its skin thick.
21. Barangan Banana
📍 Origin: Malaysia
Barangan Bananas taste the best if consumed in their fully ripe stage when it offers a tropical sweet and sour flavour. It starts with a green peel which turns yellow followed by an orange hue with black spots. This thick peel covers an ivory-coloured flesh that is dense, soft and starchy in taste.
22. Dwarf Jamaican Banana
📍 Origin: Asia
The Dwarf Jamaican Banana is also known as the Cuban Red Banana due to the colour of its peel. It has a Dwarf in its name as it does not require you to get a ladder to harvest it. Its attractive red-coloured fruit has creamy to pink flesh that offers a fresh raspberry-like flavour that can be used in salads when raw and eaten as dessert when ripened.
So, the next time you look down upon a ‘Banana’, you better Na-Na.
