GOING BANANAS...!
Did you know that the plant we know as a banana tree is not a tree at all, but an herb? Did you know that the banana itself is not a fruit, but a berry? The banana, (Musa sp.), a member of the Musaceae family, is the
largest perennial herb known and can grow up to 25 feet tall and 2 or 3 feet in diameter. Originating in the Asian tropics, bananas are now grown throughout the tropics and subtropical regions and consumed all over the world.
We seem to take the banana for granted, but it's one of the most well-known and useful "fruits" in the world. There are two categories or families; the sweet, dessert type banana and the plantain or cooking banana (see Plainly Plantains (*). There are many varieties under each category or family. In Hawaii we are lucky to have many varieties growing.
Cavendish and Brazilian are the two major groups of dessert bananas in Hawai'i. The Cavendish group includes "Williams", "Valery", "Hamakua", "Grand Nain" and "Chinese" varieties. The Brazilian bananas are sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Apple Bananas" in Hawaii. This group includes the "Dwarf Brazilian".
Each banana 'tree' will produce just one rack of fruit, but each plant will produce a few 'suckers' or banana baby plants and reproduce itself in that way. After the bananas are harvested the 'tree' will die. Usually, the tree is cut down as soon as the rack is harvested. Watch how bananas are harvested (*)
Dwarf Brazilian banana bloom - eventually a new rack of bananas will appear just above the bloom.
We grow up hearing the "saw", "an apple a day" but I thought it was interesting to note how bananas compare to apples. A banana has less water, fifty percent more food energy, four times the protein, half the fat, twice the carbohydrate, almost three times the phosphorus, nearly five times the Vitamin A and iron, at least twice the other vitamins and minerals of an apple, and as far as potassium is concerned...bananas are way off the chart with 370 mg!
It is amazing how many ways you can use bananas; puddings, ice cream, cakes, tarts, parfait, sauces, spreads, relishes, frostings, soups, stews, croquettes, salads, and breads. They can be fried, parboiled, baked, broiled and of course, raw in salads or as a snack.
BANANA BREAD PUDDING
Cute individual servings of bread pudding - 4 servings
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
Vegetable pan spray
2 slices day-old whole wheat or raisin bread
1 small banana, cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 eggs
1 cup skim or low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla or rum extract
Ground cinnamon, optional
Lightly coat 4 (6 ounce) custard cups with cooking spray. Into each cup, tear 1/2 slice of bread into cubes. Toss 4 to 5 banana slices with bread in each cup. Place cups in large baking pan, which you have already filled with about one inch of hot water.
In covered blender container or medium bowl, blend or beat together eggs, sugar, milk and flavoring until well blended. Pour over bread and bananas. With back of spoon, press bread and bananas below custard mixture.
Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired. Refrigerate several hours or overnight OR bake immediately.
Bake in preheated 350oF oven until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove promptly from hot water. Cool on wire rack about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate to serve chilled.
BANANA SAUCE
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 bananas, sliced
2 eggs, well beaten
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Boil the half-cup of sugar and one cup of water to make syrup, until it threads. Remove from heat and add the banana slices. Add the lemon juice and the well-beaten eggs. Add the pinch of salt and mash and beat it all
together until smooth. You can use a blender to get it smooth. This sauce is wonderful over the above banana bread pudding.
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(c) Part of a chapter in TROPICAL TASTE Cookbook by Sonia Martinez. - the complete article originally appeared in the July 2001 of the Hamakua Times of Honoka' a, HI. (*) Harvesting banana video credit my friend Leslie Lang (*) "Plainly Plantains" appeared originally in April 01 and is also included in my Tropical Taste Cookbook)
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Comments: 25
I thought they were trees, too. I know my parents would cut down the bananas and let them ripen and every year there would be more. Of course I never did any of the work in cutting down the bananas so I have no idea how they went about it or what they did about replanting or anything.
William, thank you. You're very kind.
Marsha, to most of us here, bananas in the yard are just a way of life and no big deal, so I can see where as a child groeing up you never paid any attention to the growing or harvesting of them
I too was surprised the first time I learned that banana trees were an herb and that the fruit was a berry........In class, one of my co-students reaction was "say wha.....!"
Donna, thank you for your complimentary comment. I love sharing whatever info I find or learn on plants and recipes
Thank you Liz!
Barbara, the recipe is really good. Of course you can make it in one pan if you wish, but I like to make it and serve in individual little bowls or ramekins.
I wonder if the "banana" plants that are planted in this area are actual banana plants or just some kind of ornamental plant. I know they come up and grow very large in the spring/summer and then die back in the winter. But they do come back the next year. I have never seen one actually produce bananas though.
I think the growing/producing period is much longer than the Spring/Summer/Fall cycle can handle up there.
"Did you know that the plant we know as a banana tree is not a tree at all, but an herb? Did you know that the banana itself is not a fruit, but a berry? "
Yes.{g}
The knowledge that you have about things like this still amazes me.
No one will believe me when I tell them that banana is an herb and the fruit are actually it's berries!!! Soooo I'll have to send them here to read this.
Glad I didn't miss this one.
I love the fact that I learn much more while doing the research than I can share each time I write one of my columns....
Just a humble mahalo nui loa for being a fan.......
Me ke aloha pumehana.....
The Banana Bread Pudding recipe looks delicious! Healthy too!
Thanks!