There are two main varieties of bananas, the fruit or sweet banana and the plantain. The fruit banana is eaten raw out of hand when it turns yellow and develops a succulent sweetness with a soft, smooth, creamy, yet firm pulp.
The plantain, a cooking banana, is also referred to as the meal, vegetable or horse banana. Plantains have lower water content, making them drier and starchier than fruit bananas.
Banana and plantains are a major staple food for many millions of people throughout the humid and subhumid tropics. Bananas and plantains have achieved greater importance as cash or subsistence crops in regions away from their primary centers of origin.
Though the banana plant has the appearance of a sort of palm tree, and is often called a banana palm, it is actually considered a perennial herb. It dies back after each fruiting and produces new growth for the next generation of fruit.
The banana was domesticated from two wild Southeast Asian progenitor species: Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana.
It got rid of the many seeds that were an unpleasant presence, and improved the flavor and texture from hard and unappetizing to its present soft and irresistibly sweet flavor.
Many processed products can be produced from banana and plantains, including purees, flour, jam, dried banana, chips and drinks. Banana chips are the only product with an international trade.
Introduction to banana
