Banana: description, plant varieties, supplying countries and use of fruits

A banana is usually represented as a yellow-jacketed fruit with slightly sweet flesh. However, already here the first contradiction is outlined, since the banana, from a botanical point of view, is not a fruit. Moreover, its skin can be not only yellow, and the flesh can be not only sweet.

In our country, it is customary to call a banana a well-known yellow fruit. By the way, the plant on which they ripen has the same name. Belongs to the Banana family, the banana genus. The homeland of the plant is considered to be the tropical territories of East Asia. There are wild and cultivated varieties. The latter appeared thanks to the efforts of breeders. Today there are about 500 varieties of cultivated bananas, but they all have only three "ancestors" - pointed banana, Maclay banana and Balbisa banana.

As a rule, in the wild, the plant is widely distributed, and on plantations several bananas are planted nearby, so it even resembles a shrub in some ways. As a rule, banana plantations are renewed every 3-5 years, while wild-growing species can be up to 100 years old and still bear fruit.

Outwardly, a banana looks like a tree that reaches a height of 2-12 m with a thick (up to 40 cm in diameter) trunk. However, it is more correct to say "false trunk", since it is formed by the folded leaves of the plant. The aerial part of the banana is small and almost invisible.

Since the trunk of the plant does not contain wood and, accordingly, there are no annual rings on it, it does not have branches, from the point of view of botany, the banana is a grass. In general, it is the same as bamboo.

Significant size, the external resemblance of a banana to a tree (the leaves forming a false trunk darken over time, which enhances the similarity) often causes the plant to be called a palm tree. However, the banana has nothing to do with palm trees; banana fruits do not grow on a palm tree.

The grass has powerful roots that can “diverge” on the sides to a distance of up to 5 m, and deep into the ground, go 1.5 m. This, to some extent, allows bananas to withstand squally gusts of wind and hurricanes. In addition, in areas prone to such natural phenomena, banana "trees" are usually planted in groups.

Banana has powerful leaves, the average length of which is 3 m, and a width of 1 m. However, in some varieties, the leaves can reach 6 m. There are also varieties with narrower leaves - 50-60 cm wide. The leaves have a slight wax coating on the outside, which allows them to reduce the evaporation of moisture from their surface.

As for the shade of the foliage, it also depends on the varietal diversity of the plant. There are plants with darker and, on the contrary, lighter leaves. Some of them have crimson spots or a border along the sheet, others are two-colored (the lower part is burgundy, the upper part is green).

All types of bananas have veins on the sheets - one large vertical vein, from which many smaller ones extend. In the event of a strong wind, the sheet is torn along thin veins, thereby reducing the pressure on itself. This is also one of the ways in which the plant manages to survive during hurricanes.

The place of growth of bananas are the tropics and subtropics, the culture is demanding on temperature and humidity conditions. The optimal indicative daytime temperature is 28-35 degrees, the night temperature for optimal development should not "fall" below 25-26 degrees. With a slight decrease in temperature, especially during the flowering period, there is a high probability of the absence of fruits.

10-16 months after planting, it is time for the banana to bloom. From an underground rhizome resembling a bag, a small stem appears. It passes through the entire trunk and is released to the surface. An inflorescence of purple is formed on the stem, sometimes with shades of green. Outwardly, it looks like a kidney and bends down under its own weight.

On this "bud" inflorescences also develop in three rows. The first row (largest) are female flowers, the second row are bisexual, the third, lower (smallest) are male flowers. Each of them consists of three petals and 3 sepals.

The smell and taste of banana inflorescence nectar are fragrant, so pollination does not stop day or night. In the daytime, insects and birds act as pollinators, in the dark - bats.

Over time, the flowers turn into small fruits, and the whole inflorescence begins to resemble a hand with many fingers. At first, bananas are small in size and have a green hue of the skin. As they grow, they increase in size, most of them turn yellow. However, there are varieties that have a pink, purple skin. The pulp of the fruit also changes, it becomes creamy, softer and juicier.

After harvesting, the kidney itself dies, dries up and falls off. Sometimes it's just cut off.

Reproduction of culture can occur by seed and vegetative methods. The first method is characteristic of wild bananas, the seeds of which are dispersed over long distances by animals that consume the fruit.

Cultivars can grow from seed, but for propagation they resort to dividing into 2 parts of an underground bud. This is done 2-4 months after the completion of fruiting. By this time, the plant is preparing a new “bud” for flowering, and it is this that is divided in two.

As already mentioned, all cultivars of bananas appeared as a result of crossing wild and further work of breeders. Wild varieties have seeds inside the pulp. That is why, from a botanical point of view, banana fruits are berries.

Banana seeds are fairly large achenes with a dense shell. If you plan to grow a plant from a seed, then the shell should first be softened by rubbing, for example, with sandpaper.Then the seeds are soaked in water, under the influence of which tender green sprouts hatch from the seeds.

Cultivated varieties of the plant, of course, do not have the described seeds, but there is still some hint of their presence in the pulp. These are small black or dark spots that can be found by cutting the flesh of a banana lengthwise. Some varieties have small, but tangible grains. Unlike grains of wild species, these are not suitable for cultivation. Firstly, they do not contain enough nutrients necessary for growth, and secondly, they are difficult to separate from the pulp, and therefore, in most cases, they become moldy when soaked.

To understand how many times a year a banana bears fruit, consideration of the life cycle of this herb will help. As with any plant, a false stem is formed in a banana when ripe, after which the flowering phase begins, then fruiting, and finally the leaves die.

Under natural conditions, bananas grow rapidly - already 8-10 months after planting, they completely form the trunk (on average it reaches 8 m), after which their reproductive phase begins. The latter begins with flowering, or rather, throwing out a flowering stem. After 2-3 weeks, inflorescences form on it.

Some (ornamental) varieties delight with flowering for several months, however, on plants grown for human consumption, after 4-7 days, fruits form in place of flowers. The fruit ripening period depends on the variety and climatic conditions, on average it is 50-150 days. It turns out that, on average, bananas ripen every 11-13 months, but there are varieties that “go” to the reproductive period longer, so ripening stretches to 17-18 months.However, these are the ones that were planted recently.

As already mentioned, there are about five hundred different varieties of bananas in the world. However, the entire varietal variety of bananas can be attributed to one of three groups.

Decorative ones are usually grown to decorate a suburban area, a greenhouse, a winter garden. Some of them do not bear fruit at all, others bear fruit, but the taste of the harvest cannot be called pleasant. Ornamental varieties delight with an interesting appearance of leaves or delight during flowering and fruiting. Among the most popular varieties, a description should be given as follows.

Initially, this variety belonged to the wild and even became the basis of most modern cultivated bananas. Today, through the efforts of breeders, "Pointed" is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It attracts large dark green leaves, which, as they grow, are divided along the longitudinal veins, due to which the huge leaf begins to resemble the feather of an unprecedented magical bird.

It is enough to look at this "tree" to understand why it is classified as an ornamental species.Its trunk has a beautiful violet-greenish hue and is as if covered with silvery hoarfrost. It harmoniously looks in combination with rich green foliage, the fruits on it are blue. The latter are not used for human nutrition, but can serve as food for elephants.

Sufficiently cold-resistant and compact option. The height does not exceed 1.5 m, the trunk is not too thick, light green leaves do not grow more than a meter wide, and more than half a meter long.

During the flowering period, it pleases with a beautiful purple “bud”, on which a small amount of bananas with pinkish skin then ripens. After a while, right on the “tree”, the skin on the fruit opens, revealing a cream-colored pulp with seeds.

It is also called bright red because of the rich scarlet flowers that look great with dark green large narrow leaves. It is grown mainly for the sake of beautiful inflorescences that last up to 2-2.5 months.

Another name is Japanese banana. It is a relatively compact plant, whose height is 2.5-3 m. The leaves are also medium-sized, have an interesting color - at the base of the leaf it is saturated green and gradually brightens towards the end of the leaf. The false trunk also has a green tint with dark spots. It grows in China, and is also grown in the south of Russia.

These varieties can not be found on the shelves of ordinary supermarkets in domestic stores. They are sold in specialized outlets, and more often they are brought to order. Unlike the bananas we are used to, plantains are larger.Their pulp contains almost no sugars, but abounds in starches. It, like the peel, is denser and tougher.

Such bananas are rarely consumed fresh, but they are fried, baked, steamed and often served as a side dish for meat and fish dishes. In addition, these fruits are well suited for making banana chips from them.

Among the plantain varieties, there are also fodder varieties that are fed to livestock. Among the variety of plane trees, the following varieties are worth highlighting.

Cultivated mainly in Brazil and outwardly similar to the dessert variety of the usual yellow color and elongated shape. The exception is large sizes (one fruit weighs an average of 400-500 g) and thick skin. Raw has an astringent taste, but after thermal exposure it is characterized by excellent taste.

A cold-resistant plant produces small (up to 13-15 cm in length) fruits, which are enclosed in a trihedral "shirt". The pulp is used both raw (but overripe bananas are taken for this) and baked (it has a delicate lemon flavor).

The fruits are large (20 cm long) with a dense, rough green skin. Raw such pulp is not eaten because of its astringent taste, but is widely used for frying, making stews, mashed potatoes, and chips.

They are also called fruits. The variety most familiar to the domestic consumer, in most cases has creamy flesh and yellow peel. It does not require heat treatment, contains a large amount of sugars, which is the reason for the sweet taste of the fruit.

The most famous dessert fruits can be called such.

It is these fruits that are most often sold in supermarkets.They are distinguished by a fairly large size (usually larger than other varieties sold), creamy flesh, yellow skin and moderate sweetness.

Outwardly similar to the previous variety, but differ in smaller sizes (their length does not exceed 12 cm). Tastes a little sweeter than the Cavendish. Often, sellers set a higher price for mini-bananas, explaining this by their unique composition and the laboriousness of cultivation. It's actually a marketing ploy. They are grown, like all varieties of bananas, their chemical composition is mostly similar.

This variety of bananas can cost a little more than most others, as it grows exclusively in the Hawaiian rainforests. The flesh of these bananas is slightly firmer, but very fragrant and sweet, usually with a slightly pinkish hue. “Apple” bananas are convenient to put in salads, cuts, because when cut, it does not darken for a long time.

It matures on a tall "tree" with mighty leaves of a dark green shade with brown-purple spots. The fruit itself is also quite large. On average, its length is 20 cm with a diameter of 4-5 cm.

The fruits have a noble "appearance". They are large (23-25 ​​cm long), have a five-sided shape. At first, the peel of the fruit is characterized by a silvery hue, but as it ripens, it becomes light yellow. The pulp is soft, but not friable, moderately sweet. The following varieties of dessert fruits cannot be called common. On the contrary, they have a striking uniqueness, and therefore deserve to be included in this list. The "Red" banana looks interesting, the name of which is explained by the red tint of the skin.This, in turn, indicates the presence of anthocyanins in it - natural pigments with powerful antioxidant properties. In addition, the red banana contains more fiber, potassium, and vitamins than many other varieties. It does not cause a sharp jump in blood sugar, and therefore can be included in the diet of diabetics.

An interesting shade of fruits can also boast of a "Pink" banana. By the name of the variety, you can guess what color the skin of the fruit is. The plant does not grow too tall, has attractive leaves and is characterized as cold-resistant, therefore it is often grown as an ornamental. However, its fruits are edible, so the "Pink Banana" is considered as a dessert species. The “Blue” banana (sometimes called purple or lavender) also boasts an unusual shade of skin. The shade of the peel of such fruits is bluish-silver, as if covered with hoarfrost. The pulp is tender, juicy, sweet enough with an interesting creamy aftertaste.

Separately, bananas can be distinguished, which are grown at home. First of all, cold-resistant and compact plants are selected for this. The notion of compactness is, of course, rather conditional. If we compare domestic varieties with 10-12-meter banana "trees" on plantations, then they are "small". However, at home, in greenhouses, in household plots, such grass grows at least 1.5-2 m high, on average it reaches 2.5-3 m. These include low-grade described plants, slow-growing bananas ("Pink") , as well as specially bred by breeders "Cavendish dwarf / super-dwarf", "Kyiv dwarf / super-dwarf".

To answer this question, we can turn again to the features of the plant life cycle (it has already been discussed in detail above). Given that after planting in early spring, a banana tree begins to bear fruit in 10-13 months, the first crop ripens in November-January (that is, at the end of the same year or the beginning of the next).

However, a plant that is not the first year of life does not need 9-10 months to grow, therefore, after fruiting, the next crop is harvested on average after 4-6 months. It turns out that an adult plant bears fruit 2 times a year. On average, the first harvest is taken in January-February, the second - in November of the same year.

Banana is one of the most ancient crops. But this is in the eastern countries. In Russia, he became widely known only after 1938. It was during this period that our country purchased a large batch of these exotic fruits. Unusual, but tasty and satisfying, citizens liked it, so after a year and a half bananas could be seen in almost all major grocery stores. Mass purchases of bananas are already in the post-war 50s. The first suppliers were China and Vietnam, which were then part of the zone of influence of the USSR. A little later, Latin America joined them, and then Ecuador.

By the way, the latter remains the largest supplier of bananas to our country today. About 1 million tons of fruits come to us from Ecuador annually. This is about 90% of all bananas entering our country.This is due to the fact that in Ecuador, ideal conditions for their cultivation and the process of cultivating fruits is inexpensive. This was understood by many domestic entrepreneurs and started their own banana plantations in Ecuador. Approximately 40% of the fruits supplied from this country are the products of domestic businessmen. A large number of bananas are brought from another part of South America - Chile. A certain percentage of imports belong to crops from Turkey and Israel.

In Russia, banana "trees" grow near Sochi. The so-called "Japanese" banana (variety "Bashio") is cultivated here. However, even being cold-resistant, it does not have time to ripen during the warm period, so there is no crop of domestic bananas on store shelves. At present, great hopes are pinned on the southern regions of the Crimean peninsula. Breeders are looking for a variety suitable for this region, which will have time to mature before the onset of a cold snap.

The most obvious answer to this question is to eat it fresh (if it is dessert bananas) or pre-cook it. Decorative varieties, of course, are grown for the sake of beauty, replenishment of their "flower collection".

Dessert bananas can be cut and served as part of fruit cuts, salads, decorate cocktails, pastries, ice cream with them. In salads and desserts, the fruits go well with pears, melons, grapes, citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwi, as well as dried fruits, yogurt, sour cream (the latter can be used to dress the dish). However, bananas are good not only as part of fruit salads, they are no less harmoniously combined with celery, cucumbers, beets, cabbage, greens.For more satisfying dishes, you can choose chicken fillet, ham, nuts, tuna, seafood (squid, shrimp) as “companions”. Bananas in various pastries can replace eggs, in addition, they will add juiciness and sweetness to the dough. Fruits are widely used for PP-baking, including oatmeal pancakes, casseroles.

If you freeze and then beat the pulp of a banana, you get a healthy low-calorie ice cream. For children, you can prepare a different option. To do this, medium-sized fruits are cut in half and put on a wider part on ice cream sticks. Then the dessert is dipped or poured over with melted chocolate, rolled in nut or wafer crumbs, coconut flakes, sprinkles and sent to the freezer or refrigerator until the chocolate layer hardens.

Bananas that require heat treatment or ordinary dessert, but rather dense fruits, can be used to make chips. They can be sweet (then no additives are required during the cooking process) or salty, spicy (cooked with salt, spices). You can fry thinly sliced ​​​​banana slices in deep fat or dry in the oven, electric dryer.

Often sweet overripe bananas are not suitable for desserts and decorations and look unpresentable. Banana bread, various puddings and mousses, pancakes can be made from such fruits.

Bananas are used to make jams and preserves. You can use not only this fruit, but add berries, pears, citruses to it. Due to the special structure of the fruit, the dessert keeps its shape well and does not require long cooking.

Banana is considered a hypoallergenic product, therefore puree from it appears in the baby's diet quite early - on average by 10-12 months. For older children, you can also prepare mashed potatoes, combining it with cottage cheese, pastries, cookies.

Many drinks are made from bananas - juices, fruit and berry smoothies, milk and other cocktails, and even beer, liqueurs, kvass. Banana dishes occupy a special place in oriental cuisine, as well as in the places where they grow. Banana soups have gained worldwide fame. In Africa, they are cooked with coconut cream, a special kind of flour and citrus zest, in Mexico they are boiled in chicken broth and corn is added. In Cuba and Chile, banana soup usually includes tomatoes as well. In the Pacific Islands, plane trees are baked right with the skin on hot stones. Serve them cut lengthwise and with special sauce.

In Africa and Latin America, unsweetened fried bananas are very popular. As a rule, they are served as a side dish for meat and fish, seafood, vegetables, rice, pasta. If fried bananas are conceived as an independent dish, then they are usually sprinkled with nuts, grated cheese, dried fruits, yogurt, sweet caramel, and various sauces.

If you cook such fruits, and then mash them in mashed potatoes and add spices, you get an original analogue of mashed potatoes familiar to Russians. In addition, the fruits are boiled, in the Caribbean even with a peel. Depending on the additives or their absence, boiled bananas can be both a side dish and a sweet dish. However, Europeans are also partial to bananas. For example, in France, toasted spiced baguette with caramelized banana slices are very popular. They are traditionally served for breakfast.

The fruits can be used not only for fresh consumption and in cooking, but also for treatment. So, with heartburn and stomach ulcers, it is recommended to eat half or one whole banana half an hour before meals. It will envelop the mucous membranes, preventing them from damage by spicy, hot food, protecting existing damage.

Dessert bananas will help cure a cough. To do this, two bananas need to be mashed and poured with a glass of warm water or milk. Mix and take 2-3 times a day. This composition contributes to the discharge of sputum, soothes the mucous membrane of the throat, softens them. Especially successful "medicine" will be for the treatment of children, because it is a safe natural composition, pleasant taste.

You can prepare a similar healing mixture from banana peel. To do this, the fruit must first be washed well, the pulp can be eaten, and the peel cut into pieces. Pour 1 liter of milk into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then throw pieces of peel to it and simmer over low heat for a quarter of an hour. Strain, add a tablespoon of honey and drink the entire volume during the day in a warm form.

In order to lose weight and to cleanse the body of toxins, you can cook and consume banana kvass. To do this, mash the pulp of 3-4 ripe bananas with a fork, pour 3 liters of cold boiled water. Add a glass of sugar and 1 tablespoon of sour cream there. Mix everything and cover with double-folded gauze. Kvass ripens in a warm place for 6-8 hours, after which it can be bottled and put in the refrigerator.

Not only the pulp, but also the skin is used in folk medicine. For example, garlic-banana applications are used to get rid of warts. To do this, a piece of the size corresponding to the size of the wart is cut out of the peel of the fruit.From the inside, it is rubbed with garlic, after which it is applied to the wart and fixed with a plaster. The application is made at night, and in the morning and during the next day, the wart is smeared with threads that are collected under the skin of a banana. The skin will also help get rid of itching caused by insect bites. To do this, it is enough to wipe the irritated place with a banana peel, its inside.

If a splinter has got under the skin that cannot be removed, then at night you need to fix the skin of an overripe banana to this place. Take the one on which dark spots have already appeared. In the morning, the splinter itself will appear on the surface of the skin, and it will not be difficult to remove it. Effective banana peel for the treatment of helminthiasis, especially the removal of roundworms, tapeworms, pinworms. To do this, you must first dry the banana skin. Please note that it should not change its yellow hue when dried. If this happens, dry the skin of another fruit. Then the dried peel is ground into a powder, which is taken by pinch 5-6 times a day before meals. The tool is suitable even for children, because it does not contain toxins and side effects dangerous to humans.

If joint and muscle pain occurs, the tincture is rubbed with massage movements into the inflamed areas, after which it is better to insulate these areas by putting on trousers or socks and wrapping yourself in a blanket.

Bananas are widely used in sports nutrition.And they are suitable for those who are gaining muscle mass, and for those who want to lose weight. First, it is better to prepare a cocktail from a banana, adding cottage cheese, milk or kefir to it. To increase the calorie content, you can also add oatmeal to the composition. Such a cocktail can be drunk after a workout.

Despite the relatively high calorie content (89 kcal per 100 g of fresh banana), there are many diets and fasting days based on bananas. This becomes possible due to the low (almost complete absence) of fats in the pulp, a large amount of slow carbohydrates and sugars, as well as the richness of the chemical composition.

The milk-banana three-day diet has gained the greatest popularity, according to which you need to eat 3 bananas a day and drink 3 glasses of milk or kefir. If the diet is difficult, you can also eat a little long-cooked oatmeal or 2 chicken eggs for breakfast, and add vegetable soup and a piece of boiled breast or steamed fish for lunch.

In cosmetology, bananas are used as the basis for nourishing and moisturizing face and hair masks. The pulp, mashed in a puree, will help relieve itching and inflammation of the skin, for example, with sunburn. Fruits are also effective for eliminating excessive dryness of the skin of the face and body, head.

If the skin is dry, you can wipe the areas with ripe banana pulp. If you have time, it is better to prepare a mask based on it with the addition of fatty sour cream. The mask is applied to the skin for 15 minutes, after which it is washed off with warm water.

If you add a little olive oil and ground oatmeal or candied honey, coffee grounds to the mashed banana pulp, you get a wonderful homemade scrub.Its positive effect is due not only to scrubbing components with abrasives, but also to the presence of fruit acids in the banana. They also exfoliate dead skin cells. In addition, such care will provide nourishment and hydration of the skin, saturating it with vitamins and minerals.

If in cooking, cosmetology, and even for the treatment of ailments, the use of bananas and skins from them is understandable and logical, then using them as a shoe polish will stun many. Meanwhile, such a composition will soften too rough skin (for example, new shoes or boots), and give it a dazzling shine. To do this, wipe the surface of the shoe with the inside of the banana peel, and then polish it to a shine with a soft cloth.

In a similar way, you can make silverware sparkle. That is, first it is rubbed with the inside of the banana peel, and then polished with a rag, preferably a suede one.

Fresh pulp can be used as a fertilizer for garden roses, if they are suddenly in no hurry to bloom and look tired. To do this, half a banana should be pierced with a blender with a glass of warm water. Loosen the soil under the bush a little and pour in the resulting solution, and then lightly sprinkle with dry earth.

A banana peel can be used to make fertilizer for houseplants. To do this, you need to chop it and pour 2 liters of water. Infuse for 2-3 days, then filter and water the plants with this liquid 2 times a week.

How to cook a delicious banana cake, see the following video.