Probably there is no country whose inhabitants do not like and do not eat bananas. However, everywhere they do it differently - somewhere they prefer to eat them raw, somewhere else they prepare a lot of delicious desserts. We have prepared the best recipes for you, as well as information on eating bananas according to the rules of etiquette and a selection of interesting facts about these bright yellow fruits.
How to eat a banana?
At home, the easiest way to eat a banana is "in the style of a monkey" - to hold fruit in your hand and bite off a piece of it. But in the restaurant you have to follow the rules of etiquette.
If the whole banana was served, proceed as follows:
- Take one fruit and place on your dessert plate.
- With a dessert knife, cut the stem and the opposite end of the banana, and then, holding the fork, move these parts to the far edge of the plate.
- Cut off the top of the peel so that you get a “cap”. Cut away from you, holding the banana on top with a fork so that it does not slip on the plate.
- Move the chopped top off with the fork so that it covers the opposite side of the banana.
- Holding a knife in his right hand and a fork in his left, eat fruit, cutting off a piece of it.
- When you finish eating, put the pieces of the banana (the stem and the tip) cut off at the very beginning inside the empty peel. Top with a “lid”. Perform all manipulations with cutlery.
It should be remembered that in bananas there are a lot of fast carbohydrates - up to 26 g per 100 g of product. For this reason, nutritionists recommend eating them in the morning, in extreme cases - no later than 6 pm. If you regularly regale these fruits before bedtime, calories that have not been used by the body will turn into extra pounds on the sides, stomach, and other “vulnerable” places.
Sometimes bananas are advised to be used instead of sleeping pills, indicating that they contain melatonin - a hormone that "turns on the sleep mode" in the human body. Unfortunately, the amount of melatonin in these fruits is negligible - only 0.000035 mg per 100 g. For comparison, the minimum dose of melatonin recommended by doctors for a single dose is 1 mg.
How to store bananas so as not to spoil?
Trying to keep bananas as long as possible, people put them in the refrigerator. Most likely, you also made this mistake, and then you were surprised to see that the fruits turned black in one night, although they were absolutely fresh. The fact is that bananas, like other fruits growing in the tropics, are very sensitive to cold. The temperature in the main chamber of a domestic refrigerator ranges from 4 to 7 ° C - this is enough for the cells inside which contain phenolic compounds (they are responsible for the bright yellow color of the skin) to die. Phenols literally break free and react with another substance - polyphenol oxidase. As a result, the pigment melanin is formed - it is he who gives the peel a dark brown color. These processes do not affect the pulp, so it can still be eaten, however, the shelf life of blackened fruits is significantly reduced. If you do not eat them in a day or two, they will begin to rot.
Another common mistake is storing bananas in a plastic bag. These fruits emit a huge amount of ethylene - a gas that activates the ripening processes. When it accumulates in a confined space, the life cycle of the fruit rapidly accelerates; even being green, they ripen in a few hours, and then ripen, after which they begin to rot.
To summarize the above, we conclude that bananas should be stored at room temperature, in a clean, dry, well-ventilated place.
Little-known life hack: to extend the shelf life of bananas, you need to tightly wrap with food foil the place where they connect to each other.
With a “ponytail” or “butt” - how to open a banana?
According to etiquette, a banana is supposed to be cleaned, cutting off both the stalk and the “ass”, and it does not matter in what order. This method can be considered the most correct, but few people at home are armed with a knife and a fork - most often people open the fetus using only their own fingers. Someone with a savory crunch breaks the “tail”, and someone tears the peel, starting from the opposite end, because of which there are regular disputes.
If you look at the situation from a scientific point of view, there is no difference how the banana was peeled - the amount of vitamins, minerals and other components in it does not change, as does the taste. Therefore, the question of correctness flows into the question of personal preferences and convenience.
An interesting fact - in the world of monkeys, who are considered avid banana lovers, there is also no unanimity. For example, gorillas and chimpanzees prefer to discover the fruit from the "butt". And orangutans, in order to avoid unnecessary philosophical thoughts, eat these fruits along with the peel.
How to fry bananas: recipes from chefs
Not all bananas are suitable for frying - only bright yellow, moderately sweet, with dense pulp. Too ripe fall apart under the influence of high temperature, and greens have too much starch, and they have a “soapy” taste. In Asian countries, varieties with small fruits and very fragrant pulp - Chuoi Su and Pisang Awak - are most often used. In our latitudes, one does not have to choose: what is brought to the store is what matters.
Deep-fried Asian-style fried bananas
This dish in appearance - and to taste too - resembles small sweet cakes. It is prepared very quickly and simply.
All you need:
- deep and not very wide deep fat fryer;
- refined vegetable oil;
- two sheets of parchment;
- paper towels;
- baby banana brush (you can take ordinary ones);
- 100 g of rice flour;
- 2 teaspoons of wheat flour (with a slide);
- 1 teaspoon of sugar (you can have two or three, but no more: firstly, the taste of the batter will become cloying, and secondly, instead of golden bananas, they will turn out to be too “tanned”);
- ¼ teaspoon of salt;
- 60 ml of water.
Having prepared all the ingredients, proceed to the next step - the culinary:
- Prepare batter - combine both types of flour, sugar, salt and water and mix thoroughly with a whisk to break the lumps. Leave the resulting dough for 30 minutes, during which time the flour will swell and the batter will become homogeneous.
- Peel the bananas. If you are using regular ones, cut them across into two or three parts.
- Put one baby banana or one piece of regular fruit between the sheets of parchment and flatten it with any heavy flat object to a thickness of about 1 cm. Do the same with all the remaining bananas. Then lay the blanks on parchment and put in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- After the specified time, pour the oil into the deep-frying container and put on the stove to heat up.
- When the oil is hot, remove the bananas from the freezer. Dip each piece in turn into batter and immediately send to fry. It is most convenient to do this with chopsticks.
- Turn over the bananas during frying so that they cook evenly. Those "pies" that have changed color to golden brown and have found a firm crisp, immediately remove and lay on a paper towel.
Deep-fried bananas are good both as an independent dish, and as a complement to tea.
Banana flambe
The name Flambe gives a reference to the method of preparation of this dish, and it came from the French word "flame". Flambered bananas are one of the most popular desserts of a restaurant level, but you can cook it at home in just 10-15 minutes.
First prepare:
- a frying pan;
- several bananas (they should fit freely in a pan);
- 4 tablespoons of rum or good brandy;
- 40 g of sweet cream butter;
- 120 g of brown sugar;
- some almond petals for decoration;
- ice cream to serve.
Next, follow the step by step recipe:
- Gently peel the bananas and cut in half lengthwise. They should not crumple or fall apart.
- Melt the butter in a pan and pour sugar into it. Combine both ingredients and cook brown caramel - so that it does not burn, do not forget to stir it and make medium heat.
- Put the bananas in caramel and fry for 1.5–2 minutes, periodically turning over with a spatula.
- Pour alcohol into the pan and let it warm for 2-3 seconds, set fire. Be careful - the flame will soar upward, so do not bend over the pan, and make sure that there are no flammable surfaces (curtains, wooden cabinets) above and near it.
- When the fire goes out, put the bananas on a plate and serve - pour caramel, sprinkle with almond petals. Put a scoop of ice cream next to it.
During flaming, all alcohol burns out - only a pleasant aroma remains from rum or cognac, so children can be treated with such bananas. But if you wish, you can prepare a separate portion for your younger family members without alcohol, using cinnamon, vanilla, orange juice or zest as a flavor.
How to dry bananas at home?
At home, you can not only fry bananas, but also dry them. Chips that are as beautiful and even as those on a shelf in a store are unlikely to work out for you, but an imperfect appearance does not spoil the taste of the product.
Ripe, hard, fragrant and sweet fruits are suitable for drying. They should be cleaned, cut into thin slices (1-2 mm thick) and placed in water acidified with lemon juice or citric acid for 30 seconds. This will protect the bananas from darkening, but give them a slight sourness. If you want sweet chips without a sour taste, you have to sacrifice a beautiful color.
For drying in the sun, it is better to cut bananas not in circles, but in strips 1 cm thick.
In the microwave
A microwave oven is the fastest way to dry bananas at home. The whole process takes about 6-7 minutes, however, it is impossible to process a lot of raw materials and prepare goodies in reserve - there is a risk that the microwave will fail.
To treat yourself to healthy banana chips, do this:
- Cover the porcelain or glass plate with siliconized parchment.
- Spread banana slices on it in one layer.
- Put in a microwave oven, and then turn it on for 5 minutes at a power of 600 watts.
- After the specified time has elapsed, check how dried the slices are and turn on the microwave for another 1-2 minutes.
Ready-made chips in a hot state are more like a dried banana, but harden a little as they cool. Remove them from parchment and transfer to a plate, if desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
In the oven
Cooking in the oven takes 2-3 hours. Cover the baking sheet with siliconized parchment, lay the banana slices on it in one layer and place in a preheated oven. Leave the door ajar so that moisture evaporating from the fruit comes out. The optimum temperature is 50 ° C, at higher values a completely different process will begin - baking.
In the electric dryer
If you have a special device - an electric dryer - it is enough to spread the banana circles on mesh pallets and dry for 10-12 hours at 30 ° C. Parchment should not be used: it will interfere with air circulation.
If the ready-made chips “stick” to the pallets, remove them by slightly prying them with a knife or the edge of a spoon.
In the sun
Bananas can also be withered naturally, but it will take a long time - about a week. Spread the banana slices on any flat surface (baking sheet, wire mesh, plank), cover with gauze on top and remove to open air. It is necessary that the fruits are blown by the wind and at the same time be exposed to direct sunlight.
After sunset, place the pan in a dry, ventilated area. Take it back to the street closer to noon when the dew comes down. Turn the slices once or twice a day so that they evenly wither.
Sun-dried and dried bananas should be stored in a refrigerator in a glass jar, sprinkled with powdered sugar slices. Depending on the degree of dehydration Storage is from one week to two months.
Is it true that all bananas are radioactive?
Yes, but the amount of carbon-14 and potassium-40 isotopes emitted by them is negligible. You have to eat 1000 bananas to get a dose of radiation comparable to the one that a person is exposed to when making one x-ray.
I want to decorate the cake with banana slices. How to make sure that they do not darken and are not weathered?
“Bathe” prepared pieces in jelly and let them dry. Do the same with other delicate fruits and berries - raspberries, strawberries, chopped kiwi.
How to keep peeled banana?
Peeled fruits are not stored, they must be eaten immediately. You can also make ice cream from them - turn the fruits into mashed potatoes, mix with yogurt and freeze.
Doctors recommend eating bananas for both children and adults, because this is an excellent source of potassium and good mood. But do not forget about the calorie content of these fruits - in the pursuit of “hormones of joy” you can gain a couple of extra pounds.