Food - Drink
Is There Any Difference Between Red Bananas And Yellow Bananas?
By CHRIS SANDS
Many of us are only familiar with "standard" yellow bananas, AKA the Cavendish breed, but there are over 1,000 varieties of this fruit grown in about 150 different countries.
One uniquely-colored banana variety is the red banana, which is indeed colored an appealing red on the peel, and has a few other differences from the common yellow banana.
The red banana, known scientifically as Musa acuminata, originated in Southeast Asia. These bananas are typically shorter and fatter in shape than the Cavendish banana.
The bananas' color comes from carotenoids, antioxidants that can promote healthy vision, stave off cell damage, and more. Red bananas also have more vitamin C than yellow ones.
Red bananas have a unique raspberry undertone to their flavor, and the flesh is very smooth and creamy. The flavor stands up to spices well in salsas, curries, and more.
Another difference between red and yellow bananas lies in the way the fruits grow. Cavendish bananas grow quickly and each tree can produce an extraordinarily high yield.
This is partly why Cavendish bananas make up 47% of banana production worldwide. Red bananas grow quickly, but don't yield nearly as much fruit, which is why they're rarer to find.