Why are all bananas the same variety?

[ledboots]

It is so annoying, I love bananas, but why do they only have that one kind of banana in the stores? OK, they have plantains, too, but lots of other kinds of bananas grow right where I live (even in my yard), so where are they in the produce section? Hmmmm?

 

[shyvas]

We also get chiquita bananas which are very sweet. I love plantains however someone told me that they weren't
bananas !

 

[ledboots]

We also get chiquita bananas which are very sweet. I love plantains however someone told me that they weren't
bananas !

I love plantains too, but I didn't know I did until my friend from the Dominican Republic taught me how to prepare them.

 

[shyvas]

I used to make mine in my Actifry until it conked out. I really must make a point of making some one of these days.

 

[Amy SF]

I think most people are unaware that there are different varieties of bananas. They just buy whatever they find in the markets. Besides, the large chain supermarkets and the fruit companies are in collusion to provide specific items to the consumers. There is probably a very tiny market for plantains, and only in certain parts of the country. I've seen plantains here, but I live in Southern California, with its very large Latino population. I'm sure they're hard to find in much of the country, though.

 

[Moll Flanders]

Could you ask at a farmer's market?

I love, love, love plantains. I usually get the green ones and steam them and then fry them and have them with ackee and vegetable chilli.

 

[Amy SF]

Could you ask at a farmer's market?

I love, love, love plantains. I usually get the green ones and steam them and then fry them and have them with ackee and vegetable chilli.

Oh I want that now.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

Every once in a while I'll see "baby bananas" at the grocery store. Even more rarely I'll see red bananas, which are also small.

Both are super delicious and I recommend trying them if you ever see them. They're much more per pound than plain ol' Cavendish, but they're small so they don't really weigh much. When I lived on Guam, I saw both of these frequently, as people would just grow the different bananas in their yards and sell them. They are more perishable and don't ship as well as Cavendish.

The baby bananas are like a super concentrated banana flavor, and the red are creamy and mild and almost lemony.

I find them more frequently at stores who cater to Hispanic or Asian populations.

 

[KLS52]

I think most people are unaware that there are different varieties of bananas. They just buy whatever they find in the markets. Besides, the large chain supermarkets and the fruit companies are in collusion to provide specific items to the consumers. There is probably a very tiny market for plantains, and only in certain parts of the country. I've seen plantains here, but I live in Southern California, with its very large Latino population. I'm sure they're hard to find in much of the country, though.

My local supermarkets carry both plantains and the red bananas but I never tried cooking with either. I should remedy that.

 

[mlp]

The industry always concentrates on those varieties of various foods which produce best, have a long shelf life, and ship well. They're the most profitable.

 

[Tom L.]

I guess you're supposed to cook plantains, even the sweet ones, but I just get them very ripe and eat them like any banana. They're sweet, but with a somewhat fruitier taste- unless I try to eat one that isn't quite ripe. Blech. That'll pucker your mouth up.

I'll have to try the red and the tiny ones.

 

[ledboots]

I guess you're supposed to cook plantains, even the sweet ones, but I just get them very ripe and eat them like any banana. They're sweet, but with a somewhat fruitier taste- unless I try to eat one that isn't quite ripe. Blech. That'll pucker your mouth up.

I'll have to try the red ones.

I have the small fat yellow ones in my yard on two small trees. An old Vietnamese guy in my neighborhood gave them to me. And shared his wifi with us; he got it free from work and it was speedy back in the day.

The big plantains are always in the grocery because of our large Latino population, but I would love to see some red ones or other cool varieties, especially because I know you can grow some locally!

 

[shyvas]

http://www.grabemsnacks.com/what-is-a-plantain.html

 

[Mr Crunchy]

From wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana#Modern_cultivation

"In global commerce, by far the most important cultivars belong to the triploid AAA group of Musa acuminata, commonly referred to as Cavendish group bananas. They account for the majority of banana exports, despite only coming into existence in 1836. The cultivars Dwarf Cavendish and Grand Nain (Chiquita Banana) gained popularity in the 1950s after the previous mass-produced cultivar, Gros Michel (also an AAA group cultivar), became commercially unviable due to Panama disease, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum which attacks the roots of the banana plant.
Ease of transport and shelf life rather than superior taste make the Dwarf Cavendish the main export banana"

 

[KLS52]

http://www.grabemsnacks.com/what-is-a-plantain.html

Ha ha...I found the same link when I googled this morning, after reading your post above. I almost posted it here but was too lazy to do it from my phone.

 

[ledboots]

Ripe plantains you can just wrap in foil and throw on the grill when you are barbecuing, and when you open it, it is all steamy and just needs a dot of earth balance and some salt and pepper. Or go sweet and add some vanilla almond milk and a little sugar.

Of course frying them in oil is delicious, but I try not to fry too much!

 

[Pirate]

Wait.
did someone say red banana?

My life will not be complete until I eat one.

I didnt know there were many types of banana. I thought it was either Plantain or normal one.

 

[ledboots]

Wait.
did someone say red banana?

My life will not be complete until I eat one.

I didnt know there were many types of banana. I thought it was either Plantain or normal one.

Here is an article with the 7 most popular banana types-- but there are lots more! http://healthmad.com/nutrition/six-most-popular-types-of-bananas/

Here's the pretty red ones.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World, by Dan Koeppel, is an interesting (and quick) read about the history of banana cultivation. Idk if I'd recommend buying it but if your library has it, it's a good read.

 

[kazyeeqen]

There's a town in Idaho called Cavendish. I always thought that was weird, the town and the banana being unrelated as far as I know.

We sometimes carry plantains, red bananas and baby bananas, when they are available from our distributor. I've had apple bananas in Hawaii.

It's the same reason you can't buy heinz or san marzano tomatoes from the grocery store, because it's easy to just sell romas. That's what people know, and what sells and stores and ships well and responds well to environmental manipulation in storage.