The banana is the fruit of the banana tree which is actually not a tree but a giant herb (having no wood at all). The banana tree can reach up to 15 meters height depending on the variety.

Each banana tree produces only one banana stem in its life span. But nature being what it is, before it dies, new stems are developed from buds in the rootstock.

Two Main Types of Bananas

	Plantain or cooking banana It cannot be eaten raw and requires cooking to break down the starchy pulp. Unlike the dessert banana, don't base your choice on its aspect, it comes in an irregular green color with lighter spots. It can be eaten at different stages of ripeness but for different purposes. Avoid products that have completely black skin and are soft or have spots of mold.
	Dessert banana It is eaten raw. The more yellow and speckled it is, the sweeter it will be. Don't put your bananas in a fridge, they would turn black.

Conditioning

The fruits are harvested after 8 to 13 months when still green. They are then taken into a shed to be washed and conditioned for exportation.

The dessert bananas are then left in ripening room for a few days. The amidon will turn into sugar. The fruit, which is technically a berry, turns from deep green to yellow or red. The plantain bananas don't go to the ripening room as they can be eaten unripe.

Each stem can weight more than 30 kg and have 200 to 250 bananas, grouped in bunches of 18 to 22 fruits called hands.

Banana tree