Bad banana ends, beer made from bananas and other funny things

Do you know which herb is one of the tallest? If you guessed the banana tree than you guessed correctly. It can reach a height of up to 16 meters. Bananas are regarded one of the oldest fruits. They were growing in exotic places such as Papua New Guinea some 10,000 years ago. The first mentions of bananas come from Buddhist writings from around 600 BC There are currently around 670 types of bananas in the world. And that is only one of the many interesting things about bananas. Read on and you should find out more.

A giant herb

Do you think that bananas are fruits or vegetables? We all think that bananas are tropical fruits, however, the banana tree is actually the tallest herb in the world. Banana trees used to be propagated by seeds but the best-known variety, which is a kind of a crossbreed between Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana, is propagated vegetatively.

Photo: Pixabay

Chemical treatment is necessary

Unfortunately, new varieties of bananas are incredibly susceptible to various fungi and diseases. This is also why they are sprayed with various chemicals more than 50times a year. Many people believe that the tips of the bananas are dangerous because many chemicals accumulate in the tips and that it is generally recommended to cut about 1 cm from both sides. Well, others that the tips of bananas on chemically untreated plants should be cut off – because they are often attacked by poisonous pests – and that bananas ends grown on farms are harmless.

Green bananas travel to Europe

Do you know where are the largest banana plantations? Well, they are in Latin and Central America. Banana is the most traditional fruit in Ecuador, Costa Rica or Colombia. But banana are also grown in Asia and the Philippines. In Europe we get green bananas at first and they ripe in so-called ethylene chambers when they finish their journey. Bananas cannot tolerate temperatures below 13.5 degrees Celsius and you should never put them in the fridge. And a little fan fact. Do you know how much one banana weigh? Well, from 125 to 200 grams.

Photo: Pixabay

How can you tell that bananas are ripe?

You can go by the number of dark spots on the skin. More spots – more ripe. Bananas are excellent if you have stomach problems because they contain sugar, magnesium and phosphorus and potassium. Unfortunately, they are not big in vitamins. Just a small amount of vitamins C and B6. Another fun fact. Bananas are also used to make beer and in certain Third World countries, banana leaves are used regularly to make “traditional” roofing.

Preview photo: Pixabay