There are actually two different types of bananas; the sweet banana and the plantain. The fruit banana is the sweet, tasty banana we use in smoothies while the plantain is a cooking banana which can also be referred to as the meal, vegetable of even horse banana. Plantains are drier, more starch and also have a lower water content than your normal eating banana. Bananas grow on a tree which is similar looking to a palm tree, so much that sometimes they are referred to as the banana palm; however the tree they grow on is actually known as a perennial herb. After fruiting it dies back and then prepares itself by producing new growth so it can be ready for another generation of fruit.
Bananas are actually not grown as simply as by seed. It goes back to the two varieties they crossed in Africa. The two varieties they crossed were known as the Musa baalbisiana and the Musa acuminata. These were full of seeds; hard and unappetizing where as the bananas we eat today are soft and sweet.
Bananas are generally grown in the hot tropics where the average temperature is about 27ºC as well as a minimum of 75mm of rainfall per month. It is necessary for the soil to have really good drainage because otherwise the roots of the plant will rot. When the banana plant grows new shoots, which are referred to as suckers, pups, or ratoons, from the shallow rootstocks or rhizomes, they continue to grow new plants for generations for the next few decades. It takes the plant to approximately 9 months to reach its mature height of about 4.6-9metres although some will even reach a height of 12metres. The stems are about 30.5cm thick and when they begin to grow flower shoots these shoots develop into the banana fruit.
When you see bananas growing they look as if they are growing upside down because they are connected to the bunch by their stems and the tips point upwards. This is because bananas are negative geotropisms. This means that when they are grown they are not pulled down by gravity like most other fruits. The trees sometimes have to be supported when they are fruiting because as the fruits become more mature and heavier the tree becomes less able to handle the weight as it is not thick and woody like other trees.
There are approximately 300 'species' of bananas however only 20 of these are used commercially. Bananas are only fully mature approximately 3 months after flowering. Each tree produces about 15 'hands' (rows) each of these hands will produce about 20 bananas which means that a bunch will bring 200 'fingers' (bananas). The average bunch of bananas weighs in around 35-50kilograms. Bananas are harvested in two-man teams. One of the men will hit the bunch with a machete and the other will catch the bunch that falls on his shoulders, he would then use a hook to put the bunch of bananas on a conveyor type cable that would run all over the plantation. If bananas aren't harvested at the perfect green stage the will not be smooth, soft and sweet but rather floury.
Every plantation has a packing station which is where the bananas are graded for quality. The bananas that are poor quality go to local markets to be sold and can also be pureed to use as feed for animals. Afterward the bananas are cut into separate hands (rows) where they are then taken to a water bath and washed so that their natural latex rubber substance that can stain clothes as well as the bananas ("bleeding").
Many countries grow bananas as an export however there are also those that grow them for their own use. Brazil, China, India, and Thailand are examples of countries that grow them as a local food source and don't really export. The main exporters are Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Honduras, the Philippines, Panama, and Guatemala. Believe it or not 80% of the bananas grown are the plaintain which is the type used for cooking. In some cultures plantains are a major part of people's diet and they are often prepared in a variety of different ways just like the potato. Most people only know of the planatain form when they a
re banana chips which are dried and then fried. In some parts of East Africa plaintains are also used for brewing beer. There is a unique type of banana grown in Kenya and Brazil and it is called the 'Apple Banana'. The flavor of this fruit is very much like that of an apple. This variety is small and measures only 3-4inches. Another different variety is the "Lady's Finger" this type is small, very creamy, sweet and soft and it is grown in Thailand, Malaysia and Colombia. The red banana is recognized by its reddish brown skin. The banana inside is also a reddish color with a sweet 'satin' like texture. This type of banana grows in most of the regions that bananas thrive in.
There are approximately 300 'species' of bananas however only 20 of these are used commercially. Bananas are only fully mature approximately 3 months after flowering. Each tree produces about 15 'hands' (rows) each of these hands will produce about 20 bananas which means that a bunch will bring 200 'fingers' (bananas). The average bunch of bananas weighs in around 35-50kilograms. Bananas are harvested in two-man teams. One of the men will hit the bunch with a machete and the other will catch the bunch that falls on his shoulders, he would then use a hook to put the bunch of bananas on a conveyor type cable that would run all over the plantation. If bananas aren't harvested at the perfect green stage the will not be smooth, soft and sweet but rather floury.
Every plantation has a packing station which is where the bananas are graded for quality. The bananas that are poor quality go to local markets to be sold and can also be pureed to use as feed for animals. Afterward the bananas are cut into separate hands (rows) where they are then taken to a water bath and washed so that their natural latex rubber substance that can stain clothes as well as the bananas ("bleeding").
Many countries grow bananas as an export however there are also those that grow them for their own use. Brazil, China, India, and Thailand are examples of countries that grow them as a local food source and don't really export. The main exporters are Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Honduras, the Philippines, Panama, and Guatemala. Believe it or not 80% of the bananas grown are the plaintain which is the type used for cooking. In some cultures plantains are a major part of people's diet and they are often prepared in a variety of different ways just like the potato. Most people only know of the planatain form when they a
re banana chips which are dried and then fried. In some parts of East Africa plaintains are also used for brewing beer. There is a unique type of banana grown in Kenya and Brazil and it is called the 'Apple Banana'. The flavor of this fruit is very much like that of an apple. This variety is small and measures only 3-4inches. Another different variety is the "Lady's Finger" this type is small, very creamy, sweet and soft and it is grown in Thailand, Malaysia and Colombia. The red banana is recognized by its reddish brown skin. The banana inside is also a reddish color with a sweet 'satin' like texture. This type of banana grows in most of the regions that bananas thrive in. 
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