BANANAS

Bananas are the world’s number-one fruit when it comes to tonnage shipped – an impressive achievement given they have only been widely available for a hundred years or so. They have so many pluses – affordability, portability, easy-peel skin, creamy flavour and versatility. But ripeness is all. Their not-so-digestible starch turns to sugars as they ripen, and they become so easy to eat that mums often mash them as a first food for babies. The rest of us enjoy them raw or cooked, whole, sliced or mashed, as a snack, in baking, as dessert, in fruit salad or as part of a meal and, of course, in creamy smoothies.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

The taste and texture of a banana is directly related to its stage of ripeness. Very green bananas are hard with an astringent taste, whereas fully ripened yellow bananas are soft, sweet and creamy. Bananas that are yellow and flecked with just a few brown spots will be at their peak flavour, but their texture verges on mushy. Look for plump bananas that have unspotted yellow skins and green tips with no splits or bruising. We think it’s a good idea to select both ripe and underripe fruit so you have a steady supply. Bananas bruise easily, so handle them with care.

HOW TO STORE THEM

Keep them in the fruit bowl, away from heat or direct sun, as they will ripen at room temperature. Once ripened to your liking, refrigerate for up to 2 weeks to prevent further ripening. The skin will blacken, but they are still perfectly edible. Never refrigerate unripe bananas. If they become overripe, we suggest you freeze them (skin and all) and take them out as you need them for baking or whizzing to make a smoothie. Another idea is to freeze them on a stick, making natural fruit popsicles.

WHAT’S IN THEM?

A small banana or ½ a larger one (about 100 g/3½ oz) has 410 kilojoules (98 calories), 1.5 g protein, no fat, 22 g carbs (5 g starches, 17 g sugars), 2.5 g fibre, 345 mg potassium, a low GI (49–53) and a moderate GL (12).

WHAT ELSE?

Ever wondered about the difference between bananas and plantains? Generally speaking, banana refers to the types we eat raw and plantain to the ones we cook. But in fact you can cook bananas and eat some ripe plantains raw. Green, starch-rich plantains are a staple in tropical countries, cooked and eaten very much the way we would serve up potatoes – steamed, boiled or fried. They are also dried and made into a meal (flour), as are green bananas.

HERO RECIPE

Banana and peanut ice cream (here )