8 Different Types of Bananas to Eat and Enjoy

There are high chances that you may have eaten only one kind of banana in your lifetime. But, there are actually more than a thousand varieties of bananas that are divided into fifty subgroups.

Bananas are one of the most widely available fruits grown in more than one hundred and fifty countries.

You might be surprised to know that bananas are considered berries that ideally grow in hot and humid climates. As it comes in different varieties, they have different colors, shapes, sizes, and firmness. In the United States, most bananas are imported from Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Ecuador. However, half of the thousand types of bananas are inedible.

These healthy and delicious treats were not always the way they are today. Like many other fruits, bananas have been genetically modified by humans. One such change made to the fruit is the elimination of seeds. Bananas are classified as fruits only because they have seeds, but they are no longer used for reproduction and are borderline invisible due to modification. On the other hand, some types of wild bananas have seeds that are visible that can be used to produce another banana plant. They have larger seeds and could not be consumed worthwhile.

If modifications were not made, bananas would have a shorter life, a lesser sweet taste, and might have been difficult to consume. These changes are also responsible for the smooth texture of this fruit.

However, the chance of finding a wild banana is low, but here are eight different types of bananas that you can eat and enjoy.

1. Cavendish

Cavendish bananas are famous for their smooth texture and somewhat sweet taste. It is the most common type of banana that you would easily find in any grocery store or farmer’s market. These bananas go through various stages of ripening; first, they are green, where they are firm from the inside and should not be consumed. Then the bananas turn yellow when they become soft, sweet, and are ready to consume. Once the yellow-colored exterior gains some brown spots, the banana may soon rot.

Cavendish bananas are commonly grown in Central America, where they are a major contributor to the economy of many countries.

Moreover, Cavendish bananas are considered the longest types since their length can range from six to ten inches.

2. Pisang Raja

Pisang Raja is a type of banana grown in Indonesia, and these bananas have more of an orange color instead of yellow. Pisang Raja is a very sweet-tasting banana that often resembles the taste of honey with a smooth and consistent texture. However, these bananas are shorter in length when compared to Cavendish bananas since they only measure up to six inches.

3. Red Banana

Red bananas are grown in the United Arab Emirates, Asia, South America, and East Africa, and as the name suggests, these bananas have an outer peel of reddish-purple color. Owing to their light pink to the dark purple colored exterior, they look different from the rest of the bananas and also taste much sweeter than Cavendish bananas.

Moreover, a good-quality Red banana would also have a slight raspberry flavor.

4. Lady Finger Banana

They are also known as baby bananas as they are only two to three inches long. However, these bananas sure do pack a punch of flavor as they taste very sweet and have a creamy texture. Lady Finger bananas are commonly seen in South East Asian countries.

5. Blue Java Banana

Unlike other bananas on the list, a Blue Java banana can even grow in colder regions. As compared to others, it also has a super creamy texture and a vanilla-like taste. However, contrary to their name, they are not entirely blue-colored fruits but rather have a tint of blue on their green exterior peel.

6. Plantain

These are a subgroup of bananas since these fruits are not consumed raw, but they are instead used for cooking in West and Central Africa, Caribbean Islands, and Central America.

7. Manzano Banana

These bananas are very sweet and have a crunchy texture that resembles the flavor of an apple or a strawberry. They are half the size of Cavendish bananas as they are usually only four inches long, but they have a very thick yellow exterior.

8. Burro Banana

They are probably the most different type of banana on the list because rather than tasting sweet, as one would expect, a Burro banana tastes lemony-tangy. They are smaller, flatter, more square-shaped than other bananas, and have a distinctive firm center.

Well, wild bananas have seeds that come a long way, from creamy soft bananas to crunchy textures. They also come in so many varieties.