
Red bananas are a group of varieties of
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
s with reddish-purple skin. Some are smaller and plumper than the common
Cavendish banana
Cavendish bananas are the fruits of one of a number of banana cultivars belonging to the Cavendish subgroup of the List of banana cultivars#AAA Group, AAA banana cultivar group (triploid cultivars of ''Musa acuminata''). The same term is also use ...
, others much larger. Ripe, raw red bananas have a flesh that is creamy to light pink. They are also softer and sweeter than the yellow Cavendish varieties, some with a slight tangy raspberry flavor and others with an earthy one. Many red bananas are exported by producers in East Africa, Asia, South America, and the United Arab Emirates. They are a favorite in
Central America
Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
, but are sold throughout the world.
Description

Red bananas should have a deep red or maroon rind when ripe and are best eaten when unbruised and slightly soft. This variety contains more
beta-carotene and
vitamin C
Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits, berries and vegetables. It is also a generic prescription medication and in some countries is sold as a non-prescription di ...
than yellow bananas. It also contains potassium and iron. The redder the fruit, the more carotene and the higher the vitamin C level. As with yellow bananas, red bananas will ripen in a few days at room temperature and are best stored outside from refrigeration.
Compared with the most common banana, the Cavendish banana, they tend to be smaller, have a slightly thicker skin with a sweeter taste, but do have a longer shelf life than yellow bananas.
Nomenclature
It is known in
English as Red dacca (Australia), Red banana, 'Red' banana (US), Claret banana, Cavendish banana "Cuban Red", Jamaican red banana, and Red Cavendish banana.
Taxonomy
The red banana is a triploid
cultivar
A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
of the wild banana ''
Musa acuminata
''Musa acuminata'' is a species of banana native to South Asia, Southern Asia, its range comprising the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Many of the modern edible dessert bananas are derived from this species, although some are hybrids wi ...
'', belonging to the
AAA group.
Its official designation is ''Musa acuminata'' (AAA Group) 'Red Dacca'.
Synonyms
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
include:
* ''Musa acuminata''
Colla (AAA Group) cv. 'Red'
* ''Musa sapientum''
L. f. ''rubra''
Bail.
* ''Musa sapientum''
L. var. ''rubra'' (Firm.)
Baker
* ''Musa rubra''
Wall. ex Kurz.
*

''Musa × paradisiaca''
L. ssp. ''sapientum''
(L.) Kuntze var. ''rubra''
* ''Musa acuminata''
Colla (AAA Group) cv. 'Cuban Red'
* ''Musa acuminata''
Colla (Cavendish Group) cv. 'Cuban Red'
* ''Musa acuminata''
Colla (AAA Group) cv. 'Red Jamaican'
* ''Musa acuminata''
Colla (AAA Group) cv. 'Jamaican Red'
* ''Musa acuminata''
Colla (AAA Group) cv. 'Spanish Red'.
History
The first bananas to appear on the market in Toronto (in the 1870s and 1880s) were red bananas. Red bananas are available year-round at specialty markets and larger supermarkets in the United States.
Uses
Culinary
Red bananas are eaten in the same way as yellow bananas, by peeling the fruit before eating. They are frequently eaten raw, whole, or chopped, and added to desserts and fruit salads, but can also be baked, fried, and toasted. Red bananas are also commonly sold dried in stores.
The red banana has more beta-carotene and vitamin C than the yellow banana varieties. All bananas are sources of three sugars:
sucrose
Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula .
For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined ...
,
fructose
Fructose (), or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and gal ...
, and
glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...
.
Cultivation
Pests and diseases
*
Panama disease
See also
*
Banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
*
Banana cultivar groups
* ''
Musa acuminata
''Musa acuminata'' is a species of banana native to South Asia, Southern Asia, its range comprising the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Many of the modern edible dessert bananas are derived from this species, although some are hybrids wi ...
''
*
Blue java banana
*
Madagascar banana
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Red banana
Banana cultivars