Banana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Banana
Fruits of four different types of bananas. From left to right: a plantain, a red banana, a latundan, and a Cavendish banana.
Source plant(s)	Musa
Part(s) of plant	Fruit
Uses	Food

A banana is a long, curved fruit with a soft, sweet flesh and a peel that is usually yellow when ripe. Botanically, a banana is actually a type of berry. It grows on large, tree-like herbaceous plants that belong to the Musa genus.

In some countries, bananas used for cooking are called plantains. These are different from the sweet dessert bananas that are often eaten raw. Bananas come in many sizes, colors, and levels of firmness. They grow in clusters, called bunches, near the top of the plant. Most of the bananas we eat today do not have seeds and come from two wild species: Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana.

Banana plants first grew in tropical parts of Asia and Australia and were likely first farmed in New Guinea. Today, they are grown in 135 countries. In 2022, India and China were the world's largest producers of bananas. People eat bananas raw, or they cook them in dishes like curries, banana chips, and desserts. Bananas are also used to make banana paper and fabrics.

What is a banana plant like?

The banana plant is the largest flowering plant that doesn't have a woody stem. The part that looks like a trunk is not wood, but a "pseudostem" made of tightly wrapped leaf stalks. These plants can grow very fast in well-drained soil.

The leaves of a banana plant are large and can grow up to 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) long and 60 cm (2.0 ft) wide. When the plant is mature, it grows a large flower spike, also known as the "banana heart," from which the fruit develops.

A single banana plant usually produces one large cluster of fruit called a "bunch." A bunch is made of several smaller groups called "hands," and each hand can have up to 20 bananas. A whole bunch can weigh between 22–65 kilograms (49–143 lb). After producing fruit, the main stem dies, but new shoots grow from the base, allowing the plant to live on.

The fruit itself has a protective outer peel. Inside, the edible flesh is soft and white. Long, thin strings, which are part of the plant's transport system, run between the peel and the flesh. Most bananas bought in stores do not have seeds.

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  The base of the plant, called a corm, is about 25 cm (10 in) across.

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  A young banana plant.

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  Female flowers, which will turn into fruit.

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  A banana 'tree' showing the fruit and flower spike.

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  Bananas planted in single rows on a farm.

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  A banana flower spike, also called a "banana heart."

Types of bananas

The 'Nendran' banana is a popular type grown in Kerala, India.

Scientists classify bananas based on their wild ancestors. Most of the bananas we eat are related to two wild species: Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The scientific name for a hybrid of these two is Musa × paradisiaca.

In places like North America and Europe, bananas are often sorted into two groups:

• Bananas: These are sweet, eaten raw as a dessert, and are usually yellow when ripe.
• Plantains: These are starchier, less sweet, and are usually cooked before eating, often while still green.

However, this simple division doesn't work everywhere. In Southeast Asia, where bananas first came from, there are many different kinds. Some are starchy but small, and others are used for both cooking and eating raw. Languages in this region often don't have separate words for "banana" and "plantain." For example, in Malaysia, both the sweet Cavendish and the starchy Saba banana are called pisang.

History of the banana

The original native areas of the ancestors of modern bananas. Musa acuminata is shown in green, and Musa balbisiana in orange.

Where did bananas come from?

Wild bananas have many large, hard seeds inside them.

The first bananas were grown by people in New Guinea about 10,000 years ago. These early bananas were special because they grew without seeds, making them much easier to eat.

From New Guinea, ancient sailors and traders carried bananas across the ocean. They spread to the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and then to Oceania, Africa, and South Asia. This is how bananas became a staple food for many cultures around the world.

Later, bananas were brought to the Middle East and North Africa. By the Middle Ages, they were grown in Spain. European explorers in the 1500s then introduced bananas to the Americas.

Banana plantations

A modern banana plantation in the Philippines.

In the 1800s, large companies began growing bananas on huge farms called plantations, especially in Central America and the Caribbean. With the help of steamships and refrigeration, they could ship bananas all over the world.

These companies became very powerful. Sometimes, they had so much influence that they could affect the governments of the small countries where they grew bananas. This led to the term "banana republic."

Today, while large plantations still exist, most of the world's bananas are grown on small family farms for local markets. Bananas are an important food source because they produce fruit all year long, helping people have food between other crop harvests.

How bananas are grown today

The Cavendish type is the most common banana sold in supermarkets worldwide.

Bananas are not grown from seeds. Instead, farmers plant offshoots, or small suckers, that grow from the base of an adult plant.

The Cavendish banana

The most common type of banana sold around the world is the Cavendish. It became popular because it ships well and produces a lot of fruit. However, because most Cavendish bananas are genetically identical, they are all at risk from the same diseases. Scientists are working to create new types of bananas that are resistant to these threats.

Ripening and shipping

Bananas for export are picked when they are still green and hard. They are kept cool during transport to stop them from ripening. When they reach their destination country, they are placed in special rooms and exposed to a gas called ethylene. This gas is a natural plant hormone that triggers ripening, causing the bananas to turn yellow, soft, and sweet.

Sustainable farming

Growing bananas can have an impact on the environment. Using too much fertilizer can pollute water, and clearing forests for new plantations can cause soil erosion. To help with these problems, some banana farms follow sustainability standards, like those from the Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade. These programs encourage farming methods that are better for the environment and fairer to workers.

Nutrition

A raw banana is about 75% water, 23% carbohydrates, and 1% protein. A 100-gram banana provides 89 calories. It is an excellent source of Vitamin B6 and a good source of vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber.

Many people think bananas have a very high amount of potassium. While they are a good source, their potassium content is moderate compared to other foods like potatoes, beans, and spinach.

How people use bananas

Food

Bananas are a very important food in many tropical countries. They can be eaten raw when sweet or cooked when starchy.

• Fruit: Sweet bananas are eaten as a snack or used in desserts like banana bread and fruit salads. Plantains are often fried, baked, or boiled and served as part of a meal. In Southeast Asia, fried bananas called Pisang goreng are a popular street food.
• Flowers: The banana flower, or "banana heart," is used as a vegetable in many South and Southeast Asian dishes, such as curries and salads.
• Leaves: Banana leaves are large and waterproof. They are often used as natural plates or for wrapping food for steaming or grilling, which adds a subtle, sweet flavor.
• Trunk: The tender inner core of the banana plant's trunk is also eaten in some parts of Asia.

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  Banana curry from Andhra Pradesh, India.

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  Pisang goreng, fried bananas from Indonesia.

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  Pengat pisang, bananas in a sweet gravy from Malaysia.

Fiber and paper

The Banton Burial Cloth from the Philippines (c. 1200–1300 AD) is the oldest known textile made from banana fiber.

The fibers from the pseudostem of certain banana species, especially the abacá (Musa textilis), are very strong. In the Philippines, these fibers have been used for centuries to weave traditional textiles like t'nalak. The fiber is also known as Manila hemp and has been used to make rope, twine, and specialty paper. Banana paper can also be made from the bark and unused fruit of the plant.

Bananas in culture

• The Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō was named after the Japanese word for a banana plant, which was planted in his garden.
• The song "Yes! We Have No Bananas" became a huge hit in 1923 and has been popular ever since, especially during times of banana shortages.
• A person slipping on a banana peel is a classic joke in cartoons and comedies.
• The artist Andy Warhol designed a famous album cover for the band The Velvet Underground that featured a banana with a peel that could be pulled back.

In some cultures, bananas have spiritual meaning. In India, they are an important part of Hindu festivals. In Thailand and Malaysia, folklore tells of spirits that live in banana plants.

Unfortunately, throwing a banana has also been used as a form of racist insult in sports, particularly against Black players. This action is meant to be offensive and is widely condemned as a form of racism.

See also

In Spanish: Banana para niños

• Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia
• Orange, another popular fruit that is shipped worldwide