red bananas

most banana trees here produce the yellow variety, so when i saw these red bananas on a tree near the malaysian railway track at woodlands road, i had to snap a picture of them.

red bananas are also known as jamaican bananas. the peel is actually more reddish purple than red. they are smaller in size compared to the cavendish bananas but they taste better, with a slight raspberry flavour. like the traditional bananas, they are best eaten soft. red bananas contain more beta carotene and vitamin c than regular bananas.

a deep purple colour indicates that the banana is ripe. if the colour of the peel is lighter, the banana is not ripe. as with the common yellow bananas, red bananas will ripen in a couple of days at room temperature. red bananas, that have not fully ripened, should be stored at room temperature and not refrigerated.

although they are not as common as the cavendish bananas, you can still get them from some fruit stalls and supermarkets. today, i bought a comb, consisting of ten red bananas, for $2.20 from a fruit stall in yishun avenue 5. the red bananas came from malaysia. the fruit-seller told me that the chinese offered this fruit to the gods.