Banana is a berry. A banana plant is the largest plant that does not have a solid trunk. The stem of a banana grass sometimes reaches 10 meters in height, and 40 centimeters in diameter. As a rule, 300 fruits weighing 500 kg are usually hanging on one such stalk.
The first president of Zimbabwe was Canaan Banana. Bananas are not only yellow, but also red. Reds have a more delicate pulp, and they do not tolerate transportation.
Bananas contain more vitamin B6 than other fruits. It is known that this vitamin is responsible for a good mood.
By weight, the banana crop is the second largest crop in the world, ahead of grapes in third place, and giving first place to oranges. India and Brazil produce more bananas than any other country in the world.
Bananas are almost one and a half times more nutritious than potatoes, and dried bananas have five times more calories than raw ones. One banana contains up to 300 mg of potassium, which helps fight high blood pressure and strengthens the heart muscle. Each of us needs 3 or 4 g of potassium per day.
Mait Lepik from Estonia won the world's first speed banana eating competition. He managed to eat 10 bananas in 3 minutes. His secret was to absorb bananas along with the peel - so he saved time. In Latin, a banana is called "musa sapientum", which means "fruit of a wise man." The world record for absorbing bananas in 1 hour is 81 bananas.
Originally from South India, bananas have been grown for about 3000 years, but in Europe until the 20th century they were considered a luxury. Now bananas are imported from many countries. They are transported green and brought to maturity at room temperature.
The pulp of banana fruits contains a lot of sucrose, vitamins C, B1, B2, PP, E, carotene, enzymes, trace elements (especially potassium); there are organic acids (predominantly malic), fiber, essential oil, starch.
In home cooking, dessert bananas are mainly consumed raw. In addition, they go to the production of wine, beer, vinegar, marmalade, confiture, ice cream. When peeling, peel off all white threads.
When buying bananas, like other fruits, make sure that there are no spots on the peel, you can buy them unripe and they will ripen at home. Never store bananas in the refrigerator, as they blacken at low temperatures.