Top 10 Banana Varieties

Banana is one of the healthiest fruits on earth and for this reason is popular worldwide. In India, it is the second important fruit crop after mango. Banana is available all round the year, is affordable, nutritious, tasty and also has medicinal value, which makes it one of the most demanding fruit. It also has also good export potential.

So, here I have for this article the top 10 banana varieties that are super healthy and tasty.

Plantains

Plantains have really high starch content and are often used as a vegetable. When they are allowed to ripen, plantains go through the same changes in colors as bananas. They are never as sweet as bananas, which is why they are usually used in savory dishes.

Europe and North America distinguish between bananas and plantains based on their intended use. In the American market, plantains are considered different food items from a banana.

Apple bananas

Apple bananas are exceptionally sweet, hence their other name, Candy Apple Banana. They are grown in the rainy tropical forests in Hawaii. Their flesh is firm and has a slight pinkish tone. The sweet, moist fruit is perfect for snacking or using in desserts and is particularly well suited to adding to fruit salads and other raw preparations since it doesn’t brown as quickly as other banana varieties.

Cavendish bananas

Cavendish bananas are the most common variety. They are the long yellow, slightly sweet bananas at supermarkets around the U.S. They go from under-ripe green to perfectly ripe and still firm mellow yellow, to riper deep yellow with a brown spot or two, to super soft and browning.

Williams bananas are the same as Giant Cavendish. They are large, mild, and sweet. Where they’re grown, they’re often sold green and underripe.

Lady’s Finger bananas

Lady’s Finger bananas are smaller and sweeter than the ubiquitous longer, milder Cavendish. They can be used in the same way, but make particularly portion-controlled snacks, especially for kids.

Red bananas

There are many types of red bananas, but they share two key things in common: they look super cool, and they tend to be on the sweeter side of the banana flavor family. Eat them out of hand or add them to dishes, but when they’re red, they’re ready to eat!

Dwarf Cavendish bananas

The Dwarf Cavendish banana isn’t named after the size of the fruit but rather the height of the pseudostem. They have purple or maroon spots when they are young and become more yellow over time as they ripen. They are the most common variety of Cavendish bananas.

Their leaves have short petioles, which makes them wind-resistant, stable, and easy to manage during cultivation. Each plant bears up to 90 fingers at a time, which makes them perfect for mass-production.

Pisang Raja bananas

The Pisang Raja bananas are really popular in Indonesia and are also commonly known as Musa Belle bananas. They are used to make a popular street food called Pisang Goreng (banana fritters) because of their delectable and firm texture. They taste sweet like honey and have a range of colors from yellow to orange. Despite their great taste, the Pisang Raja banana isn’t popular in other regions of the world and it is really difficult to come by in local markets outside Indonesia.

Manzano bananas

The Manzano banana is a popular dessert banana that has a mild taste similar to apples or strawberries. They turn black when they are fully ripe and are a great source of Vitamin C, potassium, amino acids, and fiber. It is found all year round in Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. They have a velvety texture and are used in pies, pudding, ice cream, smoothies, and many other dishes.

Burro bananas

Burro bananas have many different names depending on the region such as Horse, Orinoco, and Hog bananas. They have a lemony and tangy taste, which makes them one of the most unique types of bananas. They have a slightly square of squatty shape. Burro bananas have a yellow color with black spots and may have a slightly crispy textured center. They are available all year round in tropical and subtropical areas.

Barangan bananas

The Barangan banana is yellow with small black dots all over the rind. It has a sweet taste and the flesh is slightly white in color. It has no seeds and is eaten as a dessert in many regions. It is really popular in North Sumatra since it is a tasty fruit packed with nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins.

The different varieties of bananas has been listed above. Make sure that you’ve not missed any of these!