The Many Kinds Of Bananas

The banana we all know - the big yellow fruit sold in every supermarket - is usually the Cavendish variety. But 100 or so other varieties grow in tropical regions of the world, and a few of them show up in Seattle-area stores.

You're most likely to find unusual bananas in specialty food stores, such as El Mercado Latino in the Pike Place Market, the Uwajimaya stores and markets in the International District. Some supermarkets also carry more than one kind of banana.

Here are some banana varieties seen recently in a few local stores:

-- Red banana. Shorter than the Cavendish, this fruit has a thick, dark-red skin. The flesh is quite sweet when the banana is fully ripe. A ripe red banana should yield when pressed lightly.

-- Apple banana. This small banana has a distinctly apple-like and slightly tangy flavor, which tasters at The Seattle Times liked. It is less than half the size of a Cavendish and has yellow skin mottled with black.

-- Saba banana. This cooking banana is shorter and thicker than the Cavendish, and is dark yellow when ripe. The flesh is starchier than the Cavendish and slightly reminiscent of a sweet potato when cooked. It can be sliced and fried, or baked like a potato. One Times taster thought it would be good served with breakfast - sliced, fried in butter and topped with syrup or cinnamon. The saba can also be eaten uncooked.

-- Baby bananas, finger bananas or nitas. These are different names for the same thing: extra-small Cavendish bananas. They grow on a part of the banana bunch that normally yields small fruit. Their size makes them good for lunches and snacks.

-- Plantain. Larger than the Cavendish, the plantain is a starchy mainstay for people in much of the tropical world. It is cooked, and serves much the same purpose as a potato. Next to the Cavendish, it's the variety most widely available locally.