Description: Thai bananas resemble plantains, but the flavor is much sweeter. They should be eaten when the skin is yellow or dark.  This banana is unlike any banana that you will ever eat. It does not go through a ripening room like most bananas that come through the United States.

Season: Year-round.

Where It Grows: The fruit actually is believed to have its origins in southern Thailand.  There are only a few areas in the United states these are grown and The Redland which is a 100 year plus historic agricultural growing region is one, and in Southern Florida.  Typically thai bananas need a humid climate to grow.

How it GrowsBanana trees can grow up to 26 feet tall. The young green fruits dangle down in clusters from the top of the plant. All of the bananas on a single stalk are called a “bunch.” Each cluster of young bananas is called a “hand” and each banana is a “finger.”  As the fruit matures, it changes color from green to the familiar yellow. The fruit may even be striped with multiple colors.Did you know?

• In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portuguese colonists started banana plantations in the Atlantic Islands, Brazil, and western Africa.
• North Americans began consuming bananas on a small scale at very high prices shortly after the Civil War.
• The fruits are not the only part of the banana tree that is edible. The large buds of the banana flower are also eaten in Thailand.
• Fresh banana is a very rich source of potassium, which is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure, countering bad effects of sodium.
• Three of the most common types of bananas in Thailand are the “gluuay kai” (egg bananas that babies are often fed),”gluuay namwaa” (a more tart variety) and “gluuay hom” (the long bananas that are so commonly eaten in the US.)