Vietnamese bananas: types and nutrition

1. Types of banana and where they grow

Vietnam grows many banana varieties, from the lowland deltas to the highlands. Each has its own size, sweetness and way of being enjoyed.

• Chuối già / chuối tiêu (Cavendish type): long, curved fruit that turns sweet and fragrant when ripe — the most common kind.
• Chuối sứ (also chuối tây): large, plump fruit with a mild, slightly tart sweetness, good fresh, boiled or in sweet soups.
• Chuối cau: small, round fruit the size of an areca nut, deeply sweet and fragrant.
• Da Lat laba banana: a highland specialty, with soft, chewy flesh that is fragrant and richly sweet.

2. When it is in season

Bananas fruit all year, so fresh ones are almost always available. Even so, the final months of the year and the run-up to Tet tend to bring a bigger harvest of good-looking fruit, prized for the traditional five-fruit tray.

3. Nutrition and benefits

The banana is a quick, convenient and easy-to-digest source of energy. It is well known for being rich in potassium, along with vitamins and fibre.

• Rich in potassium, which supports muscle and heart function.
• Provides vitamin B6 and vitamin C.
• High in fibre, which supports digestion.
• Gives quick energy, handy before or after exercise.

4. How to choose the good ones

• Choose a hand of even, plump fruit with a firm, fresh stalk.
• Evenly yellow skin with a few small brown speckles usually means naturally ripe, sweet fruit.
• To eat over several days, pick a slightly green hand so it ripens gradually.
• Avoid fruit with split skin, heavy blackening or a mushy feel.

5. Storing

• Hang or rest the hand in a cool, airy spot out of the sun so it ripens evenly.
• Do not refrigerate unripe bananas — the cold blackens the skin and stops them ripening.
• Ripe bananas can go in the fridge for a few extra days; the skin darkens but the flesh stays good.
• Very ripe bananas, peeled and frozen, are handy for smoothies.

6. Ways to enjoy it

Ripe bananas are lovely eaten fresh, but there are countless other tempting ways to use them. In Vietnam, people fry them, grill them, simmer them into sweet soup, bake them into cakes, or blend them into a rich, smooth smoothie.

• Banana smoothie with milk, plus a little avocado or peanut butter.
• Grilled or crisp-fried banana served with coconut cream.
• Baked banana cake, banana sweet soup, or soft dried banana.