Fodder banana. Varieties, how to distinguish and cook properly

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Until recently, bananas were an exotic curiosity for us, and now they are full of shelves in all supermarkets. This tasty and he althy delicacy is very popular with everyone and, importantly, it is not capable of causing any allergic reaction. The fruit is brought to us from other countries, and there has long been an opinion that for the most part it is a fodder banana, which the inhabitants of overseas countries would not eat. Is it really so?

Delicious fruit

Bananas in our country are not only eaten fresh, they are often boiled, baked and even fried. There are recipes with a wide variety of variations, which use both bright yellow ripe fruits and still completely green ones. Chips are made from them, and in Asian countries they brew honey and even special banana beer. Bananas contain a unique substance - serotonin, due to which their use leads to an increase in mood.

Quality Standard

Until 2001, our country was often supplied with feed bananas that did not meet general consumer standards. Now, thanks to the presence of the standard, the quality of all imported fruits is muchimproved. In today's GOST, three classes of this product are prescribed - the second, first and extra. They can be determined by the number of pieces in a common brush, the diameter of the fruit and its length.

• Second grade must be at least fourteen centimeters.
• First grade - 19 cm.
• Extra - at least twenty centimeters.

Now you can go shopping armed with a ruler or pay attention to the box, where the manufacturer must indicate the minimum length of the fruit, its age and plantation code.

Types of varieties

To date, up to four hundred different banana varieties are known around the world, which are divided into textile (for paper production), decorative and edible. Many believe that high-quality fruits bypass our country, and we are supplied exclusively with fodder bananas. In fact, those fruits that are used for food are divided into vegetable, dessert and table. We eat mostly table bananas of the Cavendish, Ladyfingers, and Baby varieties. They are smaller, with tender flesh and excellent sweet taste.

Vegetable Bananas

There is another category of bananas - canteens, they are often used to prepare children's dishes and desserts and are called "plantains". Such fodder bananas (photo - below) are also eaten, but they are coarser and tougher, they are distinguished by rough and slightly sweet pulp. It is preferable to boil or fry such fruits, they are much larger, fleshier, evenPlantains with red skin.

Dessert banana is usually eaten fresh, it is rich in vitamins and minerals, but the manufacturer most often buys fodder bananas for wide sale.

How to tell the difference

Vegetable types of bananas are usually marked on the box by the manufacturer using a special designation - plantain. In addition, their main differences are the size and clearly defined longitudinal edges. What bananas are considered forage? These are almost straight, long and large fruits, the diameter of which is at least four centimeters.

They are plucked from trees not yet ripe and delivered to us in this form, since this variety of bananas does not turn yellow when ripe, but immediately begins to blacken. Due to their high starch content, plantains are high in calories. It is quite difficult to confuse these varieties when buying. The market is filled with yellow bananas that no one buys for future use.

Basic rules

Finding out which bananas are forage is easy. There are a number of differences that clearly indicate their direct origin. It is on them that you should pay attention when buying these fruits.

1. Our market is rich in two varietal groups of "pantains" - "horned" and "French". Both are low priced and have a green, unripe appearance.
2. To the touch they are comparatively much stronger than table varieties, have rough ribbing and tough skin.
3. Such green bananas have tart flesh,fresh. At room temperature, they quickly turn black and completely lose their taste.

It is recommended to choose only yellow fruits, on which there are no visible defects, scratches and black spots. The gray color of bananas is a clear sign of stale fruit.

Plantain benefits

The main value of vegetable bananas is phosphorus, which is contained here in large quantities. These varieties are classified as dietary and are recommended for use due to the presence of vitamins A, B, E, C. The feed banana is rich in sulfur, chlorine, zinc, manganese, potassium and calcium. It is indicated for use by people suffering from cardiovascular pathologies, all types of arthritis and arthrosis, nervous disorders and having problems with the gastrointestinal tract. They contribute to the overall strengthening of the immune system, eliminate weakness, improve mood, have expectorant and diuretic properties.

It is from this variety of bananas that especially tasty and nutritious hot dishes are obtained. They have a mild flavor that goes well with other brighter ingredients. In a number of countries, plantains are used to make wines, beer, cereals, muesli, chips, banana flour, and even drinks that replace coffee.

The energy value of such a nutritious fruit is 90 kcal per hundred grams of product, but during the heat treatment process, the amount of sugar and calories in them is significantly reduced. That is why nutritionists recommend including plantains in the weekly diet for people with diabetes or overweight.weight. Feed bananas are recommended to be cooked like vegetables, combining them with herbs and aromatic spices. This is a great side dish for any meat or fish.