THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9411090018
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, FLAVOR EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
ONE WELL-KNOWN marketer of tropical fruit would like us to believe bananas are ``quite possibly, the world's perfect food.''
But it shouldn't take Chiquita to convince me.
If not the perfect food, bananas are quite possibly the primo snack.
Powerhouses of nutrition, bananas are available all year, and for a few pennies each.
Some doctors prescribe bananas for elderly patients low on potassium. And the fruits are common post-race fare for runners, because they help replace vitamins and minerals lost during strenuous activity.
No matter. Bananas just plain taste good.
We'd be hard-pressed to find a kid or grown-up who doesn't like them. One adult we know wraps the peeled fruit in a hot-dog bun. With mayo.
Most of us, however, take our bananas sliced on cereal, dipped in melted chocolate, split under ice cream sundaes, with peanut butter on white.
We salvage the overripe specimens by turning them into muffins and breads. We even try to duplicate the creamy-sweet taste with banana-flavored shakes, boxed puddings, marshmallow candies and gourmet ice creams.
Chunky Monkey, indeed. When it comes to bananas, there's no substitute for the real thing.
What fruit bowl or basket is complete without bananas, their peels the color of sunshine?
They travel well, too - in their own nifty, throw-away wrappers. Tossing a banana peel on the compost pile hardly could be labeled environmentally incorrect.
Because they're high in fiber, bananas are filling. But they won't bust your diet: A medium-sized banana contains about 120 calories, according to the Dole Packaged Foods Co., and about 1 percent fat.
Bananas are high in vitamins B6 and C, as well as the mineral potassium. They contain no cholesterol or sodium.
When buying bananas, don't pass up the green ones. They're among the few fruits that ripen after picking.
Simply store them for a few days at room temperature. Or, as suggested in ``Joy of Cooking'' by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker (Bobbs-Merrill, 1975): Place them in a brown paper bag at about 70 degrees, until ripe.
It's OK to refrigerate bananas that have ripened. ``The peel turns black when the fruit is refrigerated,'' says Nancy Byal, in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. ``But the pulp inside stays firm for a few days.''
For immediate eating, buy yellow bananas with green tips and a few brown spots. Flecked with more brown, Byal says, the fruits are fully ripe and just right for recipes using mashed bananas.
``To keep cut bananas from turning brown in salads or pies,'' Byal says, ``toss them with a mixture of lemon juice and water or treat them with ascorbic acid color keeper.''
In cooking, count on three medium bananas for about 2 cups sliced or 1 cup mashed banana, Byal advises.
If you rarely include bananas on your shopping list, the following recipes are reason to buy a bunch. ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by JIM WALKER
BANANA BUNCH
The International Banana Club in Altadena, Calif., is ``dedicated
to making the world a nicer place,'' according to a membership
brochure.
Through member contributions, the club founded a Banana Museum,
with more than 15,000 banana-related items.
Memberships is $10 (check or money order only). For information
or to join, write: International Banana Club, 2524 N. El Molino
Ave., Altadena, Calif. 91001.
BANANAS WITH A DIFFERENCE
Most likely, you're used to seeing the long, yellow,
crescent-shaped bananas. This familiar variety is called Cavendish,
but other kinds are making the supermarket scene in some cities:
CARDABA: A large, triangular banana with a yellow, waxy skin. The
meat is pale salmon in color when fully ripe. The cardaba has a
sweet, yet tart, flavor.
LADYFINGER: Also known as Mysore. This smaller-sized banana has a
slightly tangy flavor and moist creamy meat. If the skin is green,
the banana's flavor is puckery.
MANZANO: This short, chubby banana is also called an Apple or
Finger banana. A Manzano is green and astringent when underripe.
When ripe, the skin is yellow with black spots, and the meat is tart
and crunchy with a strawberrylike flavor.
RED: A short, fat, red-skinned banana that turns purplish black
when ripe. The meat is sweet and creamy with pink overtones.
Supplies of red bananas are limited.
Source: Better Homes and Gardens magazine
by CNB