BANANA
Kluay or Bananas in Thailand are often used in Thai dessert. At Khao Lak Thai Cooking Class by Pakinnaka Thai Cooking School I teach how to make “ Kluay Buad Chee “ or banana in coconut milk. Which is you can follow our recipe online. We use Kluay Kai, a sugar or golden banana because of its aromatic and texture. Cultivated banana or golden banana are also often use for this type of dessert. It gives sweet and a little bit of sour test. Some call this banana as plum banana because its sour flavour.
Most of Cooking Class in Khao Lak use banana as mentioned above as well as regular banana (Cavendish banana) or in Thai Kluay hom.
Apart of banana in coconut milk. We have many different types of dessert that made from banana for example deep fried banana, sundried banana, BBQ banana with sticky rice
I’m going to introduce you different type of banana in the deep details. Which both used in Khao Lak Cooking Class and though out Thailand. Please kindly see as below;
Classification of bananas
There are two ways to classify bananas: according to the method of consumption and according to genetic characteristics.
- Classification according to the method of consumption can be divided into 2 main characteristics.
- Bananas are eaten fresh. When bananas are ripe, they can be eaten immediately. There is no need to cook it with heat because when cooked the flesh will be soft and have a sweet taste, such lady finger banana, Gros Michel Banana, Pisang masak hijau banana.
- Must be cooked with heat. These bananas contain starch. When raw, there is a lot of starch. The texture is quite hard. When ripe, there is still a lot more starch than fresh bananas. The flesh is not very soft and the taste is not sweet. It must be boiled, grilled, grilled, and candied to make it delicious and the taste will be better, such as plantain banana, Silver Bluggoe banana, Ballbisiana banana.
- Classification according to genetic characteristics
Since 1946, academics have begun Classification of bananas according to modern academic principles is to be separated according to genetics, using the genome of bananas as the determining factor for separating types. That is, bananas consumed today have only two ancestors. The only types are wild bananas and Wild Balbisiana bananas. Bananas that originate from wild bananas have a genome of AA. Bananas that originate from Wild Balbisiana bananas have a genome of BB. Bananas that originate from a hybrid of the two types of bananas have They have different genomes. They can be classified into groups as follows:
- Group AA is a banana that originates from wild bananas. This may result from mixing within subspecies or between subspecies. Or it may be caused by mutation. This group of bananas is usually small. Mostly seedless
- Group AAA is bananas that have an original origin. Similar to group AA, but the number of chromosomes (chromosomes) has been increased 3 times. The results are larger than the first type. and no seeds
- Group AAB is a hybrid between wild bananas and Wild Balbisiana bananas. It has 2/3 germs from wild bananas and 1/3 germs from Wild Balbisiana bananas. This type of banana has a sweet taste. There is some flour mixed in the meat. Make it tough Some can be eaten fresh, some must be cooked. Which we call the type of banana that must be ripe is called plantain.
- ABB group is a hybrid banana between wild banana and Wild Balbisiana banana as well. But the germs of wild bananas are less than those of Wild Balbisiana bananas. There is only one-third of the germs of wild bananas and two-thirds of the germs of Wild Balbisiana bananas. The pulp of bananas in this group is very starchy. especially raw fruit Some ripe fruits can be eaten fresh, but others may be astringent. Therefore it is popular to cook it with heat first. It will make the taste more delicious, such as broken bananas.
- BBB group are bananas that originate from Wild Balbisiana bananas. Nowadays, it is found that Wild Balbisiana bananas do not have a single type like before. Therefore, this group of bananas may have resulted from mating between the same species. or different types and may be caused by mutation. This type of banana has a lot of starch and when raw has a very astringent taste. And when it’s cooked, it’s not very tasty. Because it contains a lot of starch. But when it comes to boiling or grilling The taste will be very delicious. The texture is firm and soft.
- The ABBB group is a banana that was created from a cross between wild bananas and Wild Balbisiana bananas as well. It is a banana that has 4 times as many chromosomes, so it will have very large fruits. There is only one type of banana in this group, the Theparod banana. This type of banana has only one-quarter of the germs of wild bananas and three-quarters of the germs of Wild Balbisiana bananas, so it has a lot of starch. The ripe fruit has a sweet taste.
- Group AABB: This group of bananas is a result of a cross between wild bananas and Wild Balbisiana bananas with half the germs of wild bananas. and half of bananas The number of chromosomes has increased fourfold, so the results are large.
Examples of various banana varieties
Cavendish banana
Bananas have trunks about 2.5 – 3.5 meters tall and more than 20 centimeters in diameter. The leaf petioles are wide grooves and have wings. The middle of the leaf has green lines and hairs on the stem. There are clusters of fruits. Each cluster has about 4 – 5 combs, each comb has about 12 – 16 fruits. At the end of the fruit there is a green plug that gradually turns black, clearly visible. The peel is thin. The raw fruit is green. When ripe it will be golden yellow. The flesh is dark yellow. The taste is sweet and delicious.
Pisang Awak banana
Pisang Awak banana have a cylindrical trunk on the ground, 2-9 meters tall, which is a fake trunk. It arises from overlapping leaf sheaths. Leaves are arranged in alternating circles, parallelogram shaped, lower epidermis, creamy white, large, 0.7-1.0 meters wide, cut tip, smooth edges, hard midrib, many leaf veins. Separated from the middle of the leaf on both sides. Parallel to the edge of the leaf, petiole 1-2 meters long, round in the middle, grooved at the top. The base spreads out into a sheath.
The flowers come in a hanging bouquet, called a banana blossom, 30-150 cm long. The peduncle is hard. The flowers are separated into male flowers (staminate flowers) and female flowers (pistillate flowers). The female flowers are usually at the bottom of the bouquet. Small flowers in groups It’s a small inflorescence. Each group is supported by large, reddish-purple bracts. which is attached to the center of the bouquet Flowers arranged in alternating order The flowers are large, cylindrical in shape, the petals are divided into 3-5 lobes, the complete stamens have 5, the stamens (filament) are hard, the anthers are parallelogram-shaped, have 2 lobes, the ovary can be attached, the petals have 3 compartments, each compartment There were many soft eggs stuck to the welds of each compartment. The pistil is filamentous. The pistil is quite round with 6 lobes. The fresh fruit is more than 10 cm long, cylindrical or rectangular in shape, next to each other like a comb. The peel is thick.
The fruit is young and green. When ripe, it has a sweet taste and is yellow in color. The flesh is white or yellowish white and can be eaten. There are no or few seeds, rather round. The whole inflorescence that develops into a fruit is called a cluster.
Lady Finger banana
Lady Finger banana is a fruit and herbal plant. The trunk is about 2.5 meters tall and the diameter is about 15-20 centimeters. The leaves are oval and curled upwards. The tip is pointed and has wide grooves. The petioles are yellow-green. The base of the stem has pink wings. The inflorescence area has soft hairs. One cluster of fruits has approximately 6-7 combs. In one comb there are approximately 12-14 fruits. They are relatively small fruits with thin peels. The ripe fruits are yellow. When ripe, black spots may appear. The taste is sweet and delicious.
Lebmuernang banana
Lebmuernang Banana has a trunk not more than 2.5 meters tall and less than 15 centimeters in diameter. The outer stem sheaths are reddish-pink with thick black patches, and the inside are reddish-pink. The inner stem is reddish-pink. The leaves are erect with wide grooves and wings. The leaf veins are reddish-pink. The peduncle has hairs. The bracts are long and oval shaped. Curl up at the pointed end. The top is reddish-purple. pale red underside The male flowers fall off after the bracts fall off. The male flowers are cream colored. The female flowers are light pink with yellow tips and straight stamens. The stamens are longer than the pistils. The large compound petals are light yellow with yellow tips. The single petals are clear and colorless. The tip is wavy. The bunches point out to the side. One bunch has 7-8 combs. One comb has 10-16 fruits. Small fruits, 2-2.5 centimeters wide, curved shape at the tip. Long slender, short stem, thick rind, turns golden yellow when ripe. It also has a pistil stem attached to it. It smells good, the flesh is yellow, and the taste is sweet. Lady finger bananas are popularly grown in the southern region. especially Chumphon province Nowadays, it is commonly grown in backyards. Because it is a type of banana that has good taste.
Plantain
The trunk is 2 – 2.5 meters tall and the diameter is about 15 centimeters. The trunk sheath is dark green. The leaf petioles are dark green, and the leaf petioles are closed. Hard leaves tear easily. The flower is cylindrical. Long and slender, the diameter of the flower is 6 – 7 centimeters, length 20 – 25 centimeters. The petals are light purple, very soft in color. One bunch of fruits, few fruits. But the fruit is very large. The width is 5 – 6 centimeters and the length is 25 – 30 centimeters. The fruit is a little sour when eaten fresh. Boiling or steaming the meat will become tougher. When this type of banana grows, the bunches will disappear. Ivory bananas can produce only 1-3 combs per cluster or may not have any combs at all. Normally, there will be only 1 comb per cluster, and 1 comb will have approximately 10-12 bananas. It is a banana that has begun to be grown as an ornamental plant to increase beauty. It’s a strange plant. and a rare type
Red banana
Red banana It is a banana found in the southern region. The fruit has a reddish-purple appearance. Or reddish-purple. Trunk characteristics: The trunk is about 3 – 4 meters tall. The trunk diameter is 18 – 22 centimeters. The outer leaf sheaths are green mixed with red or purplish red. The inner leaf sheath is pink. On the trunk there will be red stripes. The leaf stalks of the swordfish banana or shrimp banana are pink with a reddish hue. The leaf grooves are open. The leaves are dark green. The leaves are pink. The flowers of Kluai Nak are oval-shaped with pointed tips. The flowers are reddish-purple. The cabbage opens and curls up. In a group of swordfish bananas or shrimp bananas, there will be 5 – 7 combs. In one comb, there will be 14 – 18 fruits. The fruit of the swordfish banana is round, not square, similar to the banana fruit, with a fruit length of 12 – 14 centimeters, width 3 – 4 centimeters. The fruit of the swordfish banana or shrimp banana is bright red when raw. And when mature, it will be greenish-red. When ripe, it will be reddish-yellow. The fruit flesh is yellow-orange, sweet in taste and has a cool aroma.
Cultivated banana
The trunk is 2.5 – 3.5 meters tall, and the diameter is about 15 centimeters. The outer sheath is green. The inside is greenish-yellow. The leaf stalks are green, the leaf grooves are open. The large, oval, reddish-purple bunches have pointed tips. The stalks are hairy. One bunch has 10 – 12 combs, one comb has 20 – 24 fruits. The fruit is fat and round, similar to a banana egg. The peel is thick, dark green. The fruit is large. moderate When ripe it is golden yellow. The fruit flesh is yellowish-orange. Sweet and sour taste
Kluai Nom Mi
Trunk: Artificial trunk not more than 3.5 meters tall. Artificial trunk diameter more than 15 centimeters. The outer artificial trunk sheath is green. Medium black dots The base is greenish-pink. The petiole has a very narrow groove. It has light green and pink wings. green leaf midrib As for the banana or flower
Thai bananas
Trunk: The artificial trunk is about 2.5 meters tall. The diameter of the artificial trunk is more than 15 centimeters. The outer artificial trunk sheath has black dots. The base is reddish-pink. The leaf stalks are erect and have wide grooves. They have pink wings. The midribs are reddish-pink. The peduncle has hairs. The bracts are oval and quite long. The top color is reddish purple. The bottom color is pale. The tips of the bracts are pointed and curled up. The arrangement of the bracts is not overlapping. The blossom or flower has a short flower stalk.
Fruit: The fruit size is similar to that of a sandalwood banana. The tip of the fruit has a plug and often has a pistil attached to it. The peel is thick and fragrant. When ripe it is dark yellow. And there are small black spots. similar to banana eggs Yellow-orange flesh, sweet flavor, no seeds.
Silver Bluggoe banana
Silver Bluggoe banana has a slightly black dotted sheath on the outside of the stem. The inner sheath is light green. The diameter of the trunk is approximately 15 cm and the height is approximately 2.5-3.5 meters. The leaves have a large oblong shape. The tips and base of the leaves are rounded. The leaves are green. The leaf edges are smooth. The underside of the leaves is covered with a white soft substance. The petiole grooves are quite narrow and have fins. The leaf stalks are lighter in color than the leaf plates. The flowers come in a bouquet without hairs. The shape of the flower is quite round and curled up. The top has a thick covering. The underside is dark red.The fruit of Silver Bluggoe Banana is large. The fruit peel is thick and square. The tip of the fruit shrinks and the fruit stem is long. When ripe it becomes yellowish-brown. Bananas are broken into pearls in a certain group. There will be approximately 7 combs and each comb will have approximately 10-16 fruits. If this type of banana is toasted over a fire, it will have a more appetizing aroma.
Theparod banana
Banana Theparod has a pseudo-stem 3.5-4 meters tall. The pseudo-stem diameter is more than 15 cm. The outer stem sheath has some black patches, some is soft, and the inside is light green. The leaf stalks are green with narrow grooves, without fins. The leaves are green and smooth. The leaf texture is quite thick. The flower stalk is green and has no hairs. The bracts are commonly called petals. The shape is quite fortified, the tip is rounded, the top is reddish-purple, smooth, the underside is pale red. Some trees do not have blossoms. One bunch has 5-7 combs. One comb has about 11 fruits. The fruit looks very similar to the Silver Bluggoe bananas. It has a clear angular shape, width 6-7 cm., length 18-20 cm., long fruit stem. Raw green fruit turns yellow when ripe. The flesh is soft yellow or orange when cooked. Sweet and sour taste
Phama Haek Kuk banana
The trunk is 2.5 – 3 meters tall and the diameter is about 15 centimeters. The outer sheath is light green with black patches and the petioles are light green. The base of the leaf petiole has a black patch. The leaf base is rounded. The flowers are slender and pointed at the tip. The outside is purplish red. The red inside curls up when the sheath is closed. One bunch has 5 – 7 combs, one comb has 10 – 15 fruits. The fruit looks like a banana. But the skin is shiny and has no cracks. The flesh is white, sweet and has a slight odor.
Wild Balbisiana bananas
Commonly found, the trunk is 3.5 – 4 meters tall and the diameter is about 20 centimeters. The leaves have a green midrib. The peduncle is green and hairless. The flowers are fortress-shaped, rounded at the tip, soft-purple-red on top, bright dark red on the underside. When the petals open up, they will not curl. Each leaf sheath is drilled deeply. One bunch has about 8 combs, and one comb has 10 – 14 fruits. The large fruits have clear squares, the ends are blunt, and the fruit stalks are long. The young fruits are both light and dark green. Ripe fruit is yellow. The flesh is sweet. The seeds are many, black, thick-walled, hard.
Elephant banana
The trunk is 5 – 6 meters tall, with a diameter of more than 30 centimeters. The base of the trunk is large. The outer sheath is light green. There are some black patches. The inside is light green and thick. In the leaf petiole, there are open grooves. green leaf midrib The peduncle is hairless. The large inflorescence bends down under the force of gravity. The bracts are thin and green. When blooming, they do not fall off the stem. The fruit is plump and soft-green. The number of fruits per cluster is large. The fruit has many seeds. The seeds are large, black. The fruit has a sweet taste. The flesh is little. When you want to eat it, you have to eat it one at a time. Because you have to wait for it to be ripe before eating it.
