Banana #4- Six Most Popular Bananas

After traveling around Costa Rica and learning all about the different types of bananas and how they differ, I decided that I will be talking about the six most popular bananas today and some of their potential health benefits.  Just to give you some background information about what a banana contains, in a banana you will find three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose, and glucose.  You will also find that bananas are a good source of potassium, fiber, 6 vitamins, 11 minerals, and each only have around 110 calories.  The six different bananas that I will be talking about are: Manzano, Nino, Burro, Red, Plantain, and Cavendish.  

According to healthmad.com, the Manzona banana is a short and chubby that has a mild strawberry-apple flavor.  This particular banana's appearance is chunkier and heavier than the traditional banana, and you will most likely find this banana in Asia, South America, Mexico, Caribbean, and Africa.  The Nino banana is about three inches long, and when ripe they are bright yellow with a rich and sweet flavor to them.  In this banana you will find a very important vitamin that is good for the heart and that is B6. The Burro banana is round and has squared off ends that is smaller and stubbier than the Cavendish banana, which I will be talking about in a minute.  When the Burro banana is ripe it is yellow with black spot, and the flesh is creamy white.  The taste of this banana is a tangy and lemony flavor.  Next, the Red banana is usually sweeter than the traditional banana, and when ripe they have a purple skin that is almost black and the flesh is pinkish.  This banana contains beta carotene and vitamin C.  The fifth banana is the Plantain banana.  This banana has a high level of starch and contain a lower amount of sugar.  When eating the Plantain you should cook it, and you know when it is ripe when it is almost black.  Also, the flesh of this banana is creamy and yellowish or light pink.  Finally the sixth banana which is the Cavendish banana.  This banana is the most popular in the States, and this banana is also known as the Chiquita banana.  This banana is ripe with it is bright yellow.