The benefits of banana
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What bananas do
What this vegetable does
Said to clear excess heat and moisten the intestines, easing constipation and a dry throat brought on by dryness.
How to eat it
Eat it as it is, or add it to a smoothie or pancakes to bring its sweetness forward.
A yakuzen note
Banana is said to clear excess heat and moisten the gut. An easy fruit to eat.
Banana is a sweet fruit, cold in nature, held to settle excess heat trapped in the body and moisten the intestines. Its appeal is a creamy texture and a rich sweetness, and it suits daily care when the heat leaves you with heat trapped in the body, or when you want to feel clear. As well as being easy to eat as it is, it works in smoothies, with yoghurt and in baking.
TOC
When bananas are in the shops, the kinds, and how to choose
If you want to bring in what bananas do, deliciously, knowing when they are in the shops, the kinds and how to choose makes them easier to use. Their appeal is a rich sweetness and a smooth texture, and they are available all year.
In the shops all year, ripening to readiness
Most bananas are imported, from the Philippines, Ecuador and elsewhere, and are available all year. Japanese-grown bananas, from Okinawa and elsewhere, appear from summer into autumn but in small quantities. Imported bananas are picked while still green and ripen to yellow on the way and in the shop. They go on ripening at room temperature after you buy them, and brown sugar spots on the skin are the sign that the sweetness has come. Ones still green should be left at room temperature to ripen before eating.
Philippine, highland-grown and monkey bananas
Bananas vary in sweetness and size by origin and variety.
| kinds | What stands out |
|---|---|
| Philippine | The most common. Reasonably priced, moderately sweet and soft |
| Highland-grown | Grown at altitude. Strongly sweet, with a rich taste |
| Monkey banana | Small with thin skin. Deeply sweet, with a chewy texture |
For everyday use, reasonably priced Philippine bananas are handy. For a rich sweetness, highland-grown ones suit; if you like something small and strongly sweet, monkey bananas are the ones. Some Japanese-grown bananas, from Okinawa and elsewhere, can be eaten skin and all, though few reach the shops. Choosing by taste and by use is what brings out what bananas have.
How to choose them and when they are ready
When choosing a good banana, these points make it easier to tell.
- A firm stalk, with no damage where it joins
- Plump and rounded all over, not angular
- A few brown spots on the skin (the sign the sweetness has come)
While a banana still has green on it, leave it at room temperature to ripen; once sugar spots appear it is ready. When the skin has turned yellow all over and the part near the stalk has a little give, the sweetness has come. How to speed up ripening and how to make them last is covered under keeping them, below.
How to eat bananas
Bananas work as they are, of course, and in desserts and baking, drawing on their rich sweetness and smooth texture. Here are the standard ways.
As they are, in a smoothie, or with yoghurt
What brings out the most in a banana is eating a well-ripened one as it is. Peel it and it is ready, which suits breakfast or a snack. Blended with milk or yoghurt it makes a smooth smoothie. Sliced over yoghurt or cereal, it adds colour and sweetness. In a smoothie with other fruit or leafy greens, its natural sweetness and thickness hold everything together. Chilled, it is refreshing on a hot day.
In baking, or grilled
Heated, a banana grows sweeter still. Mashed with a fork and worked into the batter for pancakes, muffins or banana bread, it adds natural sweetness and a moist texture. Sliced into rounds and cooked in a frying pan or a toaster oven, grilled banana turns soft in the mouth and, with ice cream alongside, makes an easy dessert. Over-ripe bananas with blackened skins grow stronger in aroma and sweetness, so using them in baking or a smoothie means none goes to waste.
How to keep bananas
The basic rule is to ripen bananas at room temperature until they are ready. The fridge turns the skin black easily, so keep them out while green. Separating them from the bunch and wrapping each stem end in cling film slows the ripening and makes them last. Keep them out of direct sunlight, somewhere with air moving. Over-ripe bananas can be peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces and frozen, which makes them handy for smoothies or as a stand-in for ice cream. Mashed and frozen, they work in baking.
Alongside this, it is worth knowing about The benefits of melon and a fruit likewise held to be kind to the gut. The benefits of apple as a guide when building a seasonal table.
Banana, enjoyable all year, is a fruit whose rich sweetness you can enjoy as it is, in a smoothie, with yoghurt, in baking or grilled. Reasonably priced Philippine, rich highland-grown, strongly sweet monkey bananas: choosing by taste and by use brings out what each has. For daily care when the heat leaves you with heat trapped inside, or when you want to feel clear, bring banana in.
