Going Bananas
Bananas form the backbones of many of our smoothies. The
frozen fruit provides a thick, creamy texture and natural sweetness.
Bananas originated in Southeast Asia and are key ingredients
in many Southeast Asian dishes. Bananas are also key players in the cuisines of
Caribbean and Latin American cultures (I think I could go for some sweet
plantains right now). Bananas grow not
on woody trees but on large herbaceous plants. There are numerous varieties of
bananas (and plantains, which are closely related), but we mostly see the
yellow ‘Cavendish’ banana in the supermarket. ‘Gros Michel’ preceded ‘Cavendish’
as the most popular variety in the continental United States. However, it
succumbed to a devastating disease called Panama Disease. Unfortunately for us,
‘Gros Michel’ purportedly tastes better than the ‘Cavendish’ sold today.
When I visited Puerto Rico a few summers ago, I was
fortunate enough to visit the USDA’s collection of bananas and plantains. I was
amazed by the number of different varieties. There were big plants and small
plants and bananas of different colors. There were even little pink bananas!
These were only decorative but still pretty darn cool!
With regards to nutrition, the banana is a good source of fiber
and potassium. So, go bananas! Cheers to your health and this fantastic fruit!
