Six Most Popular Types of Bananas
These are the six most popular types of bananas that we often eat and their health benefits.
Banana is the world’s favorite fruit, and banana plant is not a tree. It is the world’s biggest herb. Bananas contain three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose, and glucose. Banana gives an instant and sustainable boost of energy. They are a good source of potassium, fiber, 110 calories each, approximately 6 vitamins, and 11 minerals. Bananas have many health benefits. Below are the six types of bananas that we often eat.
Manzano Banana
The Manzano banana is short and chubby with a mild strawberry-apple flavor, and the skin is black when it’s ripe. It has a chunkier and heavier appearance than traditional banana. This banana is usually grown in Asia, South America, Mexico, Caribbean, and Africa, which also known as Apple banana.
Baby/Nino Banana
Baby/Nino banana is about three inches long. When they are ripe, they turn bright yellow and have a rich, sweet flavor, and creamy texture. This is one of the smallest and sweetest bananas around. It is a native of Colombia. It is an excellent source of heart-healthy vitamin B6. This baby banana can be baked, sauteed, broiled, and even grilled.
Burro banana
The Burro banana is round and has a squared off ends. This is stubbier, smaller, and more rectangular in shape than Cavendish yellow banana. When ripe, the skin is yellow with black spots, and the flesh is creamy white. They have a tangy, almost lemony flavor. This burro banana can be eaten fresh, and cooked in all recipes.
Red Banana
The Red banana is heartier and slightly sweeter than yellow banana. When ripe, they have maroon/purple skin to almost black, and the flesh is pinkish, or salmon color. The Red banana has a raspberry hint of flavor. It also contains more beta carotene, and vitamin C than the regular yellow banana.
Plantain banana
The Plantain banana is starchy and lower in sugar. It has to be cooked before serving since it’s unsuited to eat it raw. Plantains are native of India, and grow mostly in tropical climates. Sometimes, it is preferred to potatoes or pasta in the Caribbean. Plantain usually has green color, when ripe, it is almost black. The flesh is creamy and yellowish or lightly pink.
Cavendish banana
The Cavendish banana is the most popular banana in the U.S. Sometimes it is also known as the Chiquita because Chiquita is the globe’s largest banana producer. America eats more bananas than any other fresh fruits. Banana usually eats fresh and can be use for many purposes such as bread baking, pie, muffins, yogurts, smoothies, puddings, and custards.
Pick full-yellow bananas for salads or snacking. Use those with spots on the peel for baking, smoothies or recipes that call for mashed bananas. Avoid bananas with a gray tint or dull skin.
As with all bananas, it is best to purchase while still a bit green. Bananas are nutritious and convenient to eat. They are cheap and always available. If you want to preserve bananas, put them in the refrigerator only after they reach desired ripeness. They can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. The color of skin will be darkened, but the flesh remains its flavor.
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Judy Sheldon-Walker | Oct 17, 2007 | Reply
Icy, we used to fry plantains when we lived in New York. It was a common spanish dish, and we enjoyed them, sometimes with rice and beans. As usual, you have given us an informative and useful article. Thank you.
IcyCucky | Oct 18, 2007 | Reply
Thank you Judy.
Your kind words mean a lot to me.
valli | Oct 18, 2007 | Reply
Informative article. Thanks for writing.
francie | Oct 18, 2007 | Reply
Hey Icy,
I have learned more here about Bananas, different varieties,
how to prepare and more. Just a wonderful article, thanks so
very much.
francie
francie | Oct 18, 2007 | Reply
A wealth of information,
thanks again
Lucy Lockett | Oct 21, 2007 | Reply
This is my favourite fruit! Great article!
Liane Schmidt | Nov 17, 2007 | Reply
Very informative. I’m always up for learning more about nutrition.
Best wishes always, IcyCucky.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
Lesley the Writer | Dec 8, 2007 | Reply
This is unbelievably interesting. I’m not even a banana fan, but I love this article. Makes me want to go out and get a bunch
chris kendall | Mar 7, 2008 | Reply
One point, plantains are very edible and very sweet raw. you just need to let them ripen past what most people would think is ripening. a ripe raw plantain is completely black and soft, with no trace of the spine, or simply when all the starch is converted to sugars. they are sweeter than regular banana, and higher in calories, just wait till they are completly soft.
nichole | Apr 7, 2008 | Reply
are there other types of bananas?if there are more what types of banans are they? love always,
nobert soloria bermosa | Apr 22, 2008 | Reply
Hi IC,
thanks for posting this article again, I agree with Chris, plantain can be eaten raw when ripe,are there no available photos for this kind of bananas?thanks
Anne Lyken-Garner | Apr 22, 2008 | Reply
I think I missed this one first time around. I like the plantains. The cooked ripe ones are delicious!
Moses Ingram | Apr 22, 2008 | Reply
Bananas are my favourite fruit.
Josey | Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
Wow, I had no idea there were so many.
CHAN LEE PENG | Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
Good info, thanks!
louie jerome | Apr 24, 2008 | Reply
Very interesting although I don’t eat bananas at all.
MysLykeMeeh | Apr 24, 2008 | Reply
Very interesting!
Alexa Gates | Apr 28, 2008 | Reply
yum! these bannanas sound really good!
pooo | May 4, 2008 | Reply
yummmmmersssssss inn my tummersss
Alexis | May 24, 2008 | Reply
I never knew there were six types of bananas!
Joseph Thengamin | Nov 26, 2008 | Reply
which type of bannan is best before sports
oluwafemi Gbenga | Jan 16, 2009 | Reply
i love that articles on baanana it is highly inforamtive.More of it.
Anthony Noonan | Jan 25, 2009 | Reply
The section on the Nino banana helped me greatly on making a delicous banana bread
Theresa Anne | Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
I was greatly fully informed from this web site. It was intresting to foucuse on such types and forms of bananas. Since I shall perform a science fair project on bananas… The type of bananas is fairly important! Id like to thank BC Doan for foucuseing on such matter. And i will including his name under the help of thankfully used of my science fair.Sincerly tankful Theresa Anne*
Chris For Short | Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
I greatfully thank Theresa Anne for informing me of such great information! Chris*
Kevin | Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
I love Fernando Tess was here
Tammy | May 8, 2009 | Reply
Lots of people do not realize how easy bananas are to grow and home grown verses store bought is easy HOME Grown is the best .
of course you may never get enough you will enjoy the nanas i do and i live in oregon
Check out Banana.org if ya wanna learn more great info and i appriciate it alot always Tammy
Cheese Vanderkurd | Jun 18, 2009 | Reply
An interesting bit of banana trivia… the Cavendish replaced the Gros Michel in the 1950’s. Panama Disease whiped out the Gros Michel and companies were forced to move to another banana type. Chiquita held out because they felt the Cavendish was not nearly as good a banana as the Gros Michel, which had much more flavor than the Cavendish. Finally, they did not have a choice, and started selling the Cavendish.
There are many different types of bananas, but most do not travel well, which is why there are typically only a few different types of bananas in most supermarkets.
Johnny | Aug 29, 2009 | Reply
Some say that there are at least 300 hundred types of bananas some say up to 1,000. Some examples can be found here. http://www.going-bananas.com/bananaplantdescriptions.htm
Ngsnet | Dec 20, 2009 | Reply
can you help me please I NEED HELP BECAUSE I HAVE GOT SOME PROBLEMS ON MY GARDEN.?
I have a garden of banana.It is about seven hectors. The type of the banana is called Liam’s.These types of banana in my garden when they grew up they have some dark rash on their leaves.When you Touch their leaves they became color less.and some times white. After that slightly they began to die. The banana i mean the roots loses its content.So now what type of medicine i have to use. and when.specially i need to know the type of the medicine.
thanks for all your interest
Ngsnet G.med. Doc. Ki rove. State Russia
Ngsnet | Dec 20, 2009 | Reply
I NEED HELP BECAUSE I HAVE GOT SOME PROBLEMS ON MY GARDEN.?
I have a garden of banana.It is about seven hectors. The type of the banana is called Liam’s.These types of banana in my garden when they grew up they have some dark rash on their leaves.When you Touch their leaves they became color less.and some times white. After that slightly they began to die. The banana i mean the roots loses its content.So now what type of medicine i have to use. and when.specially i need to know the type of the medicine.
thanks for all your interest
Ngsnet G.med. Doc. Ki rove. State Russia
Ronda | Dec 20, 2009 | Reply
hello Ngsnet as you said it is usual problem. please i will send the asnswer on your site.
best wishes.
Dr . Ronda Phillips
wandomia | Feb 21, 2010 | Reply
peace
i
am out
jo | Mar 16, 2010 | Reply
this is good info and ty for posting it
frome | Aug 29, 2010 | Reply
I think te medicine in maldives are great 4 nanas it helps alot try it!!
Melin | Oct 10, 2010 | Reply
this is the best i ever eat but it\\\’s plenty about science
hyip | Apr 16, 2011 | Reply
great article, would have been better if you had pictures.
ebrasekar | Oct 22, 2011 | Reply
in india more than 12 types
ajay | Oct 23, 2011 | Reply
Thank You very much for posting this
htr | Jan 17, 2012 | Reply
allo banane
samaneela | Jan 28, 2012 | Reply
very intersting article but in india so many types are there
vinolia | Feb 10, 2012 | Reply
thanks for ur information.
that’s all helped me to do my homework and i knowed the types of bananas
Benson | Apr 12, 2012 | Reply
what are the best variaty of bananas to be planted in western part of kenya (Butere region)