Go Bananas

It's time to Go Bananas!

Banana are a fantastic fruit. Full of antioxidants, potassium and vitamins C and B6, not only do they taste great, they are good for you! I thought it would be fun to see if there was much of a difference between the varieties I was able to find. Searching my local Supermarket and Fruit Market I was able to locate six different varieties.

Cavendish

The Cavendish banana is the most common variety found in supermarkets and fruit markets. The skin peels away easily to reveal the soft creamy flesh inside. The fruit has a starchy, plant smell, although that is strongest the closer to the skin you are. There is a subtle flavour with a hint of sweetness but not overpowering. Thankfully these taste nothing like banana lollies, which can be okay if you eat one but become overbearingly sweet and sickening when you eat too many. There are rumours that bananas once tasted like the lollies but were wiped out by a fungus. Here is a very interesting article written for the BBC by Chris Baraniuk in 2014 that discusses artificial flavouring -
The Secrets of Fake Flavours

Organic Red Tip

The Red tipped banana had a firmer flesh then the Cavendish banana. This one had crisp snappy skin, the same banana/plant smell and was slightly smaller. Flavour wise this banana had an almost overripe taste, whilst the flesh wasn't bruised, it was a more concentrated taste but not as sweet, I found. The reason these bananas have a red tip is to let people know these are organic, eco friendly. While more expensive then the normal variety, for those who are conscious of where their food comes from and how it's grown these are my pick. 

Lady Finger

Lady Fingers have to be some of my favourite bananas ever. They are so expensive though, so it was always a treat to have them. Sweeter than a Cavendish, with a firm and bouncy flesh, this one could have ripened for just one or two more days as there was still a slight touch of starchiness. Even with the starch this banana was delicious and any time you can find these is a great time. The skin is thinner then the other bananas so it's nice and easy to break them open and get to the treasure inside.

Monkey Banana

Another thinner skinned banana, I bought these when they were quite unripe and I had to wait a while before they showed any signs of being ready. I waited a little too long and so when I did try them they were a little overripe. They had a nice strong banana smell and a good flavour, not a sugary sweet smell but a nice natural fruit sweetness. The bonus with these is just how tiny and adorable they are. A bunch fit so snugly in my hand. This was the first time I had ever seen these before and I would buy them again but maybe next time I wont let them get so ripe.

Plantain

Ahhhh the Plaintain. Something I was completely unfamiliar with. I had only ever seen it on TV and was at a loss on how best to eat it. In hindsight I should have bought more then one and used them in a few different ways. A much starchier cousin to the Banana these are used mainly in savoury cooking like a potato would be. I thought about frying it, baking it, letting it ripen and just eating it or trying a few different ways with the one banana. To be completely honest with you all, I got a little bit lazy and just let this bad boy ripen all the way to a nice yellow colour and ate him straight up. I can tell you that it tasted just like a banana once ripe. It wasn't as sweet as some varieties though due to the time l let it have, most of the starchiness had gone. I would like to try this green and cook it to experience the savoury side. Hopefully they will pop up at the local fruit market again as they aren't common in the supermarkets even though you can buy fruits such as Durian and Jackfruit at Woolworths.

Red Dacca

I hadn't seen this type of banana before but all of a sudden they were appearing in every store I went to. I picked up one to try and I think I should have waited a few days longer to eat it. There was a light touch of starchiness, meaning I really should have waited a few more days. Ignoring the starch, there was a nice subtle flavour, it wasn't super sweet (guessing it would have been sweeter when it had ripened more) but it still tasted like a banana. It had a nice firm flesh that gave away easily, with a good thick skin protecting it. I truly wish I had waiting a few more days but I would buy these again if I saw them.

Freeze Dried Banana Chips

Nothing but banana to be found inside this packet of freeze dried bananas. No added sugar, nothing, just banana. A super strong banana smell hits you as soon as you open the bag but it isn't an artificial smell, it just smells like ripe, sweet fruit. The slices are firm, snappy and crunchy but they melt away in an instant when you put them in your mouth, although they can get a little stuck in your teeth. The taste is like warm sun ripened bananas. A fantastic treat when you want something sweet that isn't lollies. I loooooove freeze dried fruit so much and these are up there with the strawberries I have had.

Banana Milk

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Ahhhh Banana Milk, is it all lolly flavoured milk or does any of it actually taste like the real thing. That's what I tried to find out by tasting 5 different "banana" milks that I could find. Some were nice, some were insanely sweet and some I did not enjoy at all. Just a small disclaimer, I didn't drink all of these in their entirety, I just tried small amounts of each to get the flavour.

Oak Banana Milk 600ml

As soon as the carton was open I was blasted with the smell of banana lollies. The colour is pale yellow, not as white as a banana and not as bright as the colour on the carton. The taste is like someone melted down a bag of banana lollies and mixed it into milk. Very sweet and slightly sickly due to the sweetness. Now while I have a killer sweet tooth even this was too much for me. I could only have a few mouthfuls before I had to put it down. It's not terrible tasting if you really love banana lollies but if you don't like super sweet milk then stay away from this one.

Pura Classic Banana 600ml

 

Upon opening, this one didn't smack me in the face like the Oak one did. There is a hint of real banana smell here but also an underlying unmistakable lolly smell as well. The colour is just as artificial yellow as the Oak but the flavouring is more subtle. Still a sweet milky drink but they have toned down the lolly flavouring and let more of the natural taste shine through. I still don't think I could drink an entire carton of this but its a good middle ground.

Nippy's Iced Banana

A faint lolly smell emitted from the carton when opened. Lightest in colour, although closest to the colour of banana flesh. Nice milky taste, sweet with a hint of the banana lolly flavour but not as strong as some of the previous ones. It certainly has the closest taste to real banana even if the lolly taste is still there. They just can't seem to get away from it. Honestly this was the most enjoyable I have tried so far, although I have found that you can get very sick of banana flavour very quickly.

Pauls Just Natural Banana and Honey

Upon opening this bottle there is almost no smell, which considering how strong the others have been is a welcome change. Taste is very natural but also extremely subtle. Very light on both the banana and honey taste, regardless of the naturalness this failed to excite me. There just seemed to be something missing to make this really pop. The colour of the milk is very pale, similar to the inside of a banana. While this wasn't unpleasant to drink, it was also nothing special. A little blah.

Thai Coco Coconut Milk - Banana

BLAAAAAAAAAAARG!! What on earth did I just drink?!!! Never again shall this drink pass my lips. The smell was a sweet banana lolly smell but not like the other milks. It was almost sweeter but not quite a banana smell either, hard to describe. The milk had an off colour not quite yellow and with a slight green tinge. I was still hopeful that this might surprise me, but the taste was sickly sweet, a hint of banana and all over gross. The drink is very watery as it isn't coconut milk but coconut water. This makes for a very unpleasant watery, slightly milky, super sweet banana drink. I could not drink this again. I'm sad that it turned out to be bad as I had hopes. I do not recommend this to anyone.

Order of Choice

                                                                          1- Nippys

                                                                          2- Pura

                                                                          3- Oak

                                                                          4- Pauls

                                                                          5- Thai Coco