Brazil's Varietal Bananas, by Dan Koeppel

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There was recently some debate on a blog over whether the loss of the endangered Cavendish might not be such a big problem; a poster from Brazil pointed out that there are many unique bananas available in that country.

True enough, though all have problems that most likely make them poor candidates for global Cavendish replacement. Nevertheless, if you get to Brazil, you should try them. Here - again, inspired by the Brazilian blog poster - are three of the "Fabulous Five."

NANICA: This is a banana that stays a bit green, even when ripe. But that doesn't mean it isn't a good-tasting banana. The Brazilian Fruit Web site describes it as "sweet, tender and pleasantly aromatic."

PRATA: The Prata is a less-sweet banana that grows very well and resists lots of diseases. It is a bit sour, which makes it a less-than-great Corn Flake candidate - but a great potential superstar in a market that might diversify to include varietal bananas (just as we've seen the number of apple types available in stores explode from the days when we simply got red delicious and granny smith fruit.)
Here's a recipe for the Prata banana pastry pictured to the left from the "Taste of Brazil" Web site.

Maça: The Maça is known as an "apple banana," because it has a taste and texture similar to that fruit. They're yummy, though a bit of an acquired taste for Americans used to their sweet (and somewhat bland) Cavendish variety. A Brazilian breeder told me that he had "high hopes" that apple bananas might become a global staple - but added: "As long as the sweeter bananas exist, there's little incentive for banana companies to make that happen."

TOMORROW: What else is made from bananas?

Dan Koeppel

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