Everyone loves bananas. They're a great source of potassium, they're naturally sweet,
they're easy to eat on the go - and they're cheap, too!
"I mean it's one banana, Michael. What could it cost, ten dollars?"
In case you were wondering, the bananas you're most likely familiar with are better known as
Cavendish bananas, and are very popular in North America and Europe.
These bananas are, of course, famous for their bright, cheery, yellow coloring.
What you might not know, however, is that you can also get red bananas. These variants are
smaller than their yellow cousins, and originate from Southeast Asia.
In fact, the red banana is one of over 1,000 subgroups of bananas. But what's
the difference between these two iconic strains of everyone's favorite curvy fruit?
Now, bananas are obviously naturally sweet, but they tend to get sweeter as they get riper.
Yellow bananas usually start off green, which is when they are the least sweet,
before slowly yellowing and turning brown over a period of days.
Riper bananas are more sweet because the starch they contain is transformed into sugar over time.
Red bananas are similar, in that they also grow sweeter the more ripe they are.
A premature red banana can taste a little dry, for example,
while Healthline describes their mature taste as very similar to yellow bananas,
with a "hint of raspberry sweetness." They are also known to be softer and creamier,
almost like a dessert-like flavor. Despite being labeled "red," these bananas also tend to take
on a more reddish-purplish tone. They are also notably wider and shorter than yellow bananas.
Of course, one of the reasons bananas make for such a great sweet snack or breakfast item is that
they don't significantly spike your blood sugar. This is because bananas are also full of fiber,
which slows digestion. Additionally, they are great for your cardiovascular health,
digestive health, and weight control. Since they are both Musa species,
red bananas and yellow bananas are fairly similar in nutritional value. One red banana
finger contains around 90 calories and one yellow banana finger has roughly 105 calories.
However, red bananas are especially good for eye health, too, due to the carotenoids in the red pigment.
Red bananas also have more vitamin C and a lower glycemic index score than their more common counterparts.
Meanwhile, red bananas are great for hair and skin care
because of their vitamin C content - so if you want to experience the awesome antioxidants of
this lesser-known banana, you could even try using them to whip up a detoxing face mask.
And yes, you can absolutely swap out red and yellow bananas in recipes,
if you want to. Generally, red bananas have a very similar taste to yellow bananas,
save for that slight berry-like edge they've got over the yellow ones. As such, red bananas can be
used in banana bread, smoothies, oatmeal, and ice cream, and basically anything else you'd normally
use yellow bananas in. They can also be enjoyed in dishes such as red banana chicken or banana curry,
for the ultimate combination of sweet and savory flavors.
And since red and yellow bananas are pretty similar in nutritional content,
you can pretty much swap them out on a one-for-one ratio - just be
mindful of the red version's more creamy texture and added "raspberry" flavor.
The only tricky part of all this is that red bananas are a little
harder to find than their yellow counterparts. Surprisingly enough,
however, many major retailers do actually sell them. Furthermore,
many of the big yellow banana brands like Dole, Del Monte, and Chiquita sell red bananas too,
so it's definitely worth checking to see if you can find them in your local supermarket.
Even if you can't seem to find red bananas in a grocery store near you, websites such as Miami
Fruit and Melissa's sell red bananas and ship them to your house. Just a heads-up — one pack
from each retailer is likely higher in price than a local grocery store. But if you're willing to
pay that price, you'll end up with a box of sweet, creamy fruit that is both healthy and delicious.
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