Oatmeal Farm Network | Banana Varieties

Variety Name	Description
Banana (Dried Sliced)	Dried, sliced bananas, often sweetened or preserved; used in trail mixes.
Banana (Flour/Green)	Flour made from unripe, green plantains or bananas; used as a gluten-free starch source.
Banana Cavendish (Dwarf)	The dominant commercial banana cultivar (Musa acuminata), known for its mild flavor and ability to withstand shipping.
Banana Fingerling	A starchy, elongated tropical fruit with a soft texture, serving as a key source of potassium and a staple food in many regions.
Banana Mint	The Bannan or Blue line is a metro line of Taipei Metro in Taipei, Taiwan, with a total of 23 stations serving the districts of Nangang, Xinyi, Daan, Zhongshan, Wanhua, Banqiao and Tucheng. The line's name is a portmanteau of Banqiao and Nangang.
Banana Passion Fruit	Banana passionfruit, also known as taxo in Ecuador and curuba in Colombia, is a group of around 64 Passiflora species found in South America. Most species in this section are found in high-elevation cloud forest habitats. Flowers have a cylindrical hypanthium.
Banana Plantain (Macho)	A starchy, large, cooking banana (Musa paradisiaca), typically eaten cooked when green (starchy) or ripe (sweet).
Banana Squash	Banana Squash — a gourd-family vegetable.
Barangan	A sweet, seedless variety with a yellow skin and dark spots when ripe, often grown in tropical climates.
Blue Java (Ice Cream Banana)	A unique variety with blueish skin and a creamy, vanilla ice cream-like flavor.
Bluggoe	A hardy, large banana used mainly for cooking, with a texture similar to plantains.
Burro	A stout, squared-off banana with a tangy, slightly lemony or lime-like flavor. Creamy texture when ripe, but can be cooked green like a plantain.
Cardaba	A Filipino variety used for both fresh eating and cooking, similar to plantains in texture and flavor.
Cardaba Banana	A Filipino cooking banana, large and angular.
Cavendish	The most common commercial banana. Large, with a thick yellow peel and sweet, creamy, seedless flesh. Used for fresh eating.
Cavendish (Banana)	The most common variety, known for its sweet flavor and soft texture. It is the banana typically found in grocery stores.
Cuban Red	A variety of the Red Banana. Has a deep, maroon-red skin. Flesh is pinkish-orange, very sweet, and has a rich, "raspberry-like" flavor.
Dwarf Cavendish	The most common commercial banana variety.
Dwarf Cavendish	A smaller variety of the Cavendish banana, grown in many home gardens.
Dwarf Red	A smaller version of the Red Banana, prized for its sweet flavor and deep reddish skin.
Fehi	A red-skinned banana with a starchy, savory flavor, often cooked before eating.
Fhia-17	A disease-resistant banana hybrid developed for tropical conditions, known for its strong yield.
Goldfinger	A hardy, disease-resistant banana. The fruit is slightly tangy when young, but ripens to be sweet and creamy, with a mild, apple-like flavor.
Gran Nain	A variety similar to Cavendish, known for its disease resistance and large bunches.
Gros Michel	The "original" banana, replaced by Cavendish. Known for its thicker skin, creamier texture, and a sweeter, more "candy-like" and aromatic flavor.
Gros Michel	Gros Michel – often translated and known as "Big Mike" – is an export cultivar of banana and was, until the 1950s, the main variety grown. The physical properties of the Gros Michel make it an excellent export produce; its thick peel makes it resilient to bruising during transport and the dense bunches that it grows in make it easy to ship. However, due to its vulnerability to Panama disease, it has been almost entirely replaced in the banana industry by the Cavendish cultivar.
Hua Moa	A very large, "banana-plantain" from Polynesia. Can be eaten fresh when ripe (sweet, creamy) or cooked green (starchy, potato-like).
Ice Cream (Blue Java)	A tropical banana known for its blue skin and creamy, vanilla-like flavor.
Kandarian	An ancient variety with a strong banana flavor, grown in South Asia, and used primarily for cooking.
Kluai Namwa	A Thai variety known for its sweet flavor and versatility in cooking and desserts.
Kluai Namwa Banana	A popular banana from Thailand, used ripe or green.
Lady Finger	A small, thin banana, typically sweeter and milder than the Cavendish. Has a creamy texture and is often used in desserts or eaten fresh.
Lakatan	A popular dessert banana in the Philippines.
Lakatan	A popular Filipino variety with a sweet flavor, orange flesh, and longer shelf life than most bananas.
Macho Plantain	A large, starchy plantain commonly used for cooking and frying in Caribbean and Latin American cuisine.
Manzano	A short, "apple banana." It has a firm, creamy, dense texture and a unique sweet-tart flavor, reminiscent of apples or strawberries. Eaten fresh.
Manzano (Apple Banana)	A smaller variety with a tangy, apple-like flavor when fully ripe.
Manzano (Apple Banana)	A small, sweet banana with an apple-like tartness.
Maoli	A Hawaiian variety used for both fresh eating and cooking, with a rich flavor.
Maurelii	The Red Banana (Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii') is an amazing plant species for its striking foliage colour and fast-growing nature. The broad, paddle-shaped leaves offer a deep red hue and have ruffled edges for added eye-catching appeal. This species can grow 10-15 feet tall in a single season and produce large yellow fruit with a mild banana taste. This plant is also known for its hardiness and ability to tolerate many soil types, making it an easy addition to any garden or landscaping project
Mongee	A rare, edible-skinned banana variety grown in Japan, known for its sweet taste and unique growing process.
Mysore	A popular, small banana from India. The flesh is firm, white, and has a unique, complex, sweet-tart flavor, reminiscent of berries.
Ney Poovan	An Indian banana variety, small and sweet, often eaten fresh or used in desserts.
Orinoco	A variety that can be eaten fresh or cooked, known for its hardy nature and adaptability.
Pisang Awak	A sweet variety popular in Southeast Asia, often used in cooking or as a dessert banana.
Pisang Awak	A popular dessert and cooking banana in Southeast Asia.
Pisang Raja	A popular, sweet dessert banana in Southeast Asia.
Pisang Raja	A "king" banana from Indonesia. Large, orange-fleshed, and very sweet. Highly prized for cooking (pisang goreng) and fresh eating.
Praying Hands	A unique banana where the fruits are fused together, resembling "praying hands." The flesh is sweet, firm, and has a slight, tangy, vanilla-like flavor.
Raja Puri	A hardy, fast-growing banana. The fruit is medium-sized, very sweet, and has a creamy, rich, "custard-like" flavor.
Red Banana	A variety of banana with reddish-purple skin.
Red Banana	A shorter, plumper banana with a distinctive reddish-purple rind. Flesh is cream-colored to pink, and has a sweeter, richer flavor with raspberry-like notes.
Red Dacca	A red banana variety with a sweet flavor and creamy texture, common in Southeast Asia.
Rhino Horn	One of the largest banana varieties, with fruit growing up to two feet long, often used for cooking.
Saba	A large, "cooking" banana from the Philippines. The fruit is squared-off, starchy, and not sweet. Used almost exclusively for cooking in savory dishes.
Silk (Manzano)	A variety also known as Apple Banana, famous for its slightly tart, apple-like taste.
Sweet Banana	A banana is an elongated, edible fruit—botanically a berry—produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing them from dessert bananas. The fruit is variable in size, color and firmness, but is usually elongated and curved, with soft flesh rich in starch covered with a peel, which may have a variety of colors when ripe. It grows upward in clusters near the top of the plant.
Williams	A variant of the Cavendish banana, known for its robust growth and sweet flavor.