How to choose the right banana?
If the annual consumption of bananas per person is 2 kg in China, 10 kg in Europe and 12 kg in the United States, it increases to 50 kg in Oceania and 210 kg or more in African countries. from the east. A variable consumption, therefore, for this fruit with a unique nutritional profile.
ID card
- Family: Musaceae;
- Origin: Africa and Asia;
- Season: October to January;
- Color: green to yellow;
- Flavor: sweet.
Choose the banana according to its color
The more green marks the banana has, the less ripe it is and the longer it will keep. It can then be used for cooking. On the other hand, it will have to be left to mature before consuming it raw, because at this stage, it is indigestible. It is ready to eat when the flesh yields slightly to pressure and the skin is very yellow and slightly tiger-colored, without any green coloration. When it shows brown or black spots, it has passed this stage and is then better suited for cooking. Note that small bananas are generally sweeter than large ones.
The plantain banana is generally sold when its skin is green.
Derivatives
You can find a pink red banana in specialized grocery stores, which can be eaten raw or cooked. Commercial dried bananas often contain added sugar: read the label carefully.
“Banana essence”, which is used to flavor liqueurs and confectionery (as well as certain processed cheeses), is in fact amyl acetate, a synthetic substance obtained from the acid acetic. Natural banana essence is too volatile to be of culinary interest.
Finally, there are frozen banana leaves in Asian grocery stores, which can be used to cook food in foil.
When to peel the banana?
Do not peel the banana until ready to eat or prepare it, because its flesh oxidizes on contact with air. If it is necessary to peel it in advance, it is lightly lemoned.
The plantain peels more easily after it has been blanched for 5 minutes in salted boiling water.
Store well
- Room temperature : since the banana darkens when it comes into contact with cold, it is recommended to keep it at room temperature, in a fruit bowl or on the counter. To hasten the ripening of green bananas, put them in a brown paper bag;
- Freezer : Remove the skin and freeze it whole, in pieces or mashed. Sprinkle with lemon juice at the exit of the freezer to prevent its oxidation.
