Designer bananas

Related to my apple question - this morning I was having my boring cereal with bananas again and I started to wonder: if there are so many varieties of apples, why aren't there more varieties of bananas? Do all bananas world wide taste the same? Or are there others out there besides the Yellow Dole and plantains?

-Yumbo

When we go to Hawaii we eat what they call Apple Bananas. These bananas are smaller than the regular yellow bananas, don't seem to soften and turn brown as quickly, and have a great tangy/sweet taste. We always wish that we could find these bananas here on the mainland but have not had any luck so far.

There are also available from time to time (here in VT anyway, and obviously we don't grow theme in-state) red bananas, which I haven't tasted.

You're right, there don't seem to be so many banana types available, but I suspect that it's more a case of what will ship well and be profitable, since you can't grow them in 99% of the USA. We only commonly get 2 varieties of dates, as another example, but there are hundreds of different types being grown in the Middle East. Just not enough demand for the exotic/higher priced ones, or they don't ship as well...could be a lot of reasons. But I would guess that there are several other types of bananas out there that we in the continental USA (except maybe Florida) don't ever see.

There are lots of different kinds of bananas. I lived in India for a period of years where there were many, many varieties, from little 16 for a rupee finger sized yellow babanas to the big red ones which were the best, you could barely eat two of them and they had the sweetest taste. Just like tomatoes, they come in a variety of colors, tastes, and textures. I read in Smithsonian a few years ago that red bananas were now being grown in south Florida, I would love to find them in local produce selections. I worked as the produce manager at a local IGA store for several years, we had access to a fair number of tropical fruits, but all the bananas were variations on the yellow/Dole or Chiquita/pick 'em green/toss 'em in the boat variety. For years American wholesale produce companies seemed mainly concerned with varieties that shipped well, but multiculturalism is opening the doors to some exciting "new" bananas.

Had sugarfinger bananas in the Solomon Islands...sweetest, best banana ever...nothing to compare the taste and sweetness...haven't liked bananas since...probably will never taste again.

If I were to hazard a guess about the availability of various types of bananas, I would suggest checking out Jungle Jim's International Market north of Cincinnati. I know the one time we were there a year ago they had tiny yellow bananas which the produce person gladly let us sample; sweet and delicious. Their produce department is so huge and has so many, many different types of everything, I'd bet they have more than two types of bananas. Just a thought.

We will trek to Jungle Jim's again this fall and I'll pay particular attention to the bananas, among other things. Wonderful place!!!

Donna

It has always amazed me the price of bananas here in Oklahoma. Most of the time they can be found priced at a few cents below 49 cents a pound up to 59 cents a pound. When you think about someone growing them, harvesting them, shipping them to Houston then trucking them up here. I know that they go by quantity, but some one ain’t getting much money for their labor. We do like to keep a few on hand almost the year around.

My Dad loved his bananas, although he always bought them when they were almost black. I always told my son that I was 19 and in the Navy before that I found out bananas were yellow

ok---hot off the press---according to NPR,Chaquita is getting into biotech and is planning on a line of new bananas---including one that is licorice flavored! now i love to try out banana varities--especially fond of red fingers---but i dont know if im ready for licorice!!!???---they are planning on modifying the Cavendish---thats the one most people recognize as your standard bananna, by adding flavors to it---hmmm--strawberry banana in ONE fruit? Mint bananas? Chocolate bananas???? Aint science wonderful???????

Hey I do like licorice but I don't think it would be good with bananas. Although I will try most things once.

Donna
You hit the nail on the head, Not only does Jungle Jim's stock 4 or 5 different types(varieties) of Banana's..They are cheap ! Regular Dole-Type were 4 lbs for a buck last week!! There are "Blood Banana's", and little fat green ones, a some others that I forget the description, but they're in the Produce Section.

Whole Foods and even Shaw's (one of our two basic major chains in New England, the other being Stop and Shop) have been carrying different types of bananas for at least the last year or two. I'm afraid I can't expound further, but I haven't paid any attention, because I don't actually like bananas very much.