EAT Magazine May/June 2018_Layout 1 3/5/18 3:16 PM Page 6
Get fresh
SECOND BANANA With the world’s most popular banana threatened, it’s time to sample other tasty varieties. THE BANANA WE KNOW AND LOVE (along with the rest of the world; annually
slightly crisp textured centre, though like a plantain, it can be used at varying stages of
more than 100 billion bananas are eaten globally) is the Cavendish variety, spoiling us
ripeness; if you are looking for a tangier taste, eat it sooner.
with its bright yellow peel and ivory flesh with balanced starch and sweetness. However,
MANZANO “APPLE”: Stubby “finger variety” of dessert banana (as all sweet varieties
bananas aren’t revered as one of the world’s divine foods because of Cavendish alone.
are referred to) has thick, golden-yellow skin. It has a unique taste with hints of apple and
Other varieties you may find at local markets this time of year offer the palate a spectrum
berry if you eat it when dark yellow.
of delights.
NIÑO: A dessert banana though much smaller than a Cavendish (making it a favourite of
RED: Most often imported from Guatemala, Red bananas offer a different nutritional
children), the Niño offers a much sweeter flesh, making it a lovely quick snack. Most often
profile high in carotene, Vitamin C and amino acids. Its flesh is sweet with a hint of berry
imported at this time of year from Ecuador, Guatemala or Costa Rica.
and is a creamy to pink hue when ripe. They are ready to eat when their skins becomes a deep chestnut-red colour.
PLAINTAIN: Often larger in size, with more square sides than a Cavendish, plantain is not considered a dessert banana because of its lower sugar content and higher starch
THAI: Under-loved because when ripe their peel is covered in black patches, this variety
level, which is similar to that of a potato. Plantain is more commonly prepared as a
(most often actually imported from Mexico) is extremely sweet and has a smooth creamy
vegetable and is lovely fried alongside almost any Central American meal. It can be
texture when ripe.
prepared at varying levels of ripeness depending on the application.
BURRO: Sometimes called the “chunky banana,” as it is stubbier and squarer than most
Our darling Cavendish, however, is in danger. The banana as we know it is the result of an
bananas, the Burro’s peel is a deep rich green that turns deep yellow with black spots
ancient sterile hybrid of two undesirable varieties that for centuries have been enjoyed
when ripe. A ripe Burro is creamy and sweet with lemony undertones, but it retains a
and propagated for our benefit. An otherwise evolutionary dead end has been avoided by
OUR MEAT IS
ISLAND RAISED
2032 OAK BAY AVE 6
MARCH/APRIL 2018