Bananas are pretty much available all year round in Taiwan, but at the height of summer these quick growing fruit go into overdrive. Living in Hualien, where everyone has a banana tree or three, all producing vast quantities of fruit even when untended, neglected and ignored, it is sometimes impossible to escape being inundated by gifts of huge bunches of the fruit. The bounty of nature and the generosity of neighbors ensures that you have a constant supply, which can be a problem at this time of year when other delicious, and lets face it, more exotic produce is easily available. What’s a banana to do when faced with mangos, pineapples and lychees, all vying for attention? It doesn’t help that bananas do not refrigerate well, but left on the counter top, can turn mushy, black and bug-ridden in a matter of days.
It was instructive that after coming to Hualien, a place where bananas quite literally grow by the side of the road, I rarely if ever saw anything that looked like the bright yellow crescent that I had grown up acknowledging as the banana. And of course, like so many fruit that are now available in supermarkets, this bright, sculpted, Andy Warhol-type of banana, often called the Cavendish banana, is only one of literally hundreds of cultivars that are available. It is the largest commercial variety around the world, and as things go, has squeezed most of the rest of the supermarket shelves.
Moreover, I was rather shocked to learn while reading material for this article, that the bright yellow color is not even the natural complexion of the Cavendish banana, but the result of a highly technical artificial ripening process. This tough survivor of the natural world has become something almost man-made. But coming up against the reality of bananas was more of a challenge than I could have imagined.
Photo: Ian Bartholomew
Looking around the market stalls in Hualien, I see all kinds of bananas, ranging in color from purple to pale green, the bright yellow of the supermarket banana is markedly absent. They also come in an endless range of shapes and sizes. Some are nice to eat, others less so, and yet others are better suited to use in cooked savory dishes. Taiwan doesn’t have much of a banana cuisine, and in my experience, fruit stall owners are not always knowledgeable about the banana they sell. Having tried many types, my favorite is a banana sold by an old man at Hualien’s Chungcing Street market (花蓮重慶市場). He does not know what kind they are, but he has been growing them on the hillside above the town of Shueilien (水璉) in the coastal mountain range facing the Pacific Ocean for decades. He brings a few bunches down each day, selling them at an absurdly cheap price, and getting to the market before he sells out is the best reason for getting up early on market day.
Bananas make an excellent snack eaten just as they are, but are also excellent deep fried or caramelized with sugar and butter; in fact, they are wildly adaptable to a huge range of preparations, and that is without taking into account the culinary uses of the leaves, flower and even stem of the banana plant. In this vast landscape of culinary exploration, I nevertheless draw the line at the banana sandwich, a regular feature of my Australian youth: wheels of slightly oxidized banana placed between two slices of buttered white bread. This may well have provided a package of excellent nutrition, but has also, for me, become a symbol of gastronomic horror.
Bananas are wonderfully nutritious, and are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and also contain plenty of vitamin C, manganese and dietary fiber. They are also rich in potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function.
Photo: Ian Bartholomew
Bananas are a very low-fat food (less than 4 percent of their calories come from fat), and they have the added benefit of containing small amounts of sterols, a substance that help block the absorption of dietary cholesterol, helping to keep blood cholesterol levels in check. Although often tasting quite sweet, bananas also have a relatively low glycemic index, moderating the impact of eating the fruit on blood sugar levels. They are highly prized by hikers and endurance athletes as a source of slow-release energy.
As excellent as bananas are, they do not keep well and big bunches can ripen at a blistering pace. As a big fan of banana bread (see recipe), I find the best way to preserve them is to mash the ripe fruit (adding a splash of lemon to prevent oxidization), and then freeze them until it is time to bake. The frozen puree can keep well for up to two months.
As-basic-as-it-gets Banana Bread
Recipe
(makes 2 medium loaves)
This is pretty much a one-bowl bread, and the lack of spices and nuts, often used to enrich and enliven banana bread, also really allows the quality of the bananas to shine. The best banana for a bread is a banana that you enjoy eating. When mashing the banana, I prefer to use a fork, retaining a slightly chunky texture, rather than pureeing it.
Ingredients
600g ripe bananas, smashed
160g melted butter
200g white sugar
70g brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
420g plain flour
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 160c
2. Put a base of oven paper on two 4x8 inch loaf tins
3. Mix butter with the smashed bananas together in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
5. Add the baking soda, baking powder and salt, using a sift to make sure there are no lumps. Mix well.
6. Add the flour. Mix until there are no specks of white.
7. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.
8. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
9. Cool on a rack.
10. Remove from pan and slice to serve. Can be kept at room temperature for two days. Can be refrigerated for a week. After refrigeration, best serve toasted. (If you are feeling especially decadent, toasted banana bread with lashings of butter, honey and chopped fresh banana is a real treat, even if this negates almost all the health benefits mentioned above.)
Ian Bartholomew runs Ian’s Table, a small guesthouse in Hualien. He has lived in Taiwan for many years writing about the food scene and has decided that until you look at farming, you know nothing about the food you eat. He can be contacted at Hualien202@gmail.com.
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