What is the difference between plantain and banana?

How many times have we mistaken bananas for bananas? They are very similar fruits, so much so that often the most notable difference you have to discover when consuming them. Although both are great desserts (or snacks), the truth is that they are not exactly the same.

If you want to know what is the difference between plantain and banana, then I will reveal it to you.

What are bananas?

Let's talk about bananas first. These are the fruits produced by some species of musaceae, especially those of the Acuminate muse. Although it is not possible to know if a muse is going to produce bananas or plantains only due to their genetic inheritance, this species is one of the most cultivated precisely for its delicious fruits, just like the balbisian muse.

These fruits are longer than bananas, and have a thicker skin. They can be eaten raw when ripe, but when they are still green they cook and in doing so, we will see that they do not lose their shape.

If we talk about their sugar and humidity level, this is lower in bananas, but they have more meat than bananas.

And the bananas?

Now for the banana. This is fruit too, from some musaceae. It has an elongated shape, but a little smaller than the banana. The main difference with this is that it has a less thick skin and a much softer and sweeter meat, something that makes it possible to consume raw without problems.

However, you should know one thing, and that is that due to its characteristics it is a fruit that rots easily, especially in summer, hence it is recommended to keep it in the fridge.

Both in the case of plantain and banana, their skin is yellow, and as they ripen they turn black.

Summing up, how do we differentiate bananas from plantains?

• Size and shape: both are more or less the same shape, but the banana is smaller.
• Shell: that of the banana is thicker.
• Drinking mode: while the pulp of the banana is soft, which is why it can be eaten raw, that of the banana is somewhat harder. In fact, depending on the variety, such as the plantain, it is usually cooked before serving.
• PriceAlthough logically it is not a physical characteristic, for the buyer it is a help. In Spain, bananas are usually much cheaper than bananas.

What species of Musa produce plantains or bananas?

If we go to the botanical part, both plantains and bananas are the result of a cross between some species of Musa, which are:

Acuminate muse

The word red banana or Malaysian banana, and it is a plant that reaches 7 meters in height. It is native to Australia and Asia, although today so many hybrids and cultivars have been obtained that it is difficult to obtain genetically pure specimens. One such cultivar is Acuminate muse 'Cavendish', a group of varieties that includes the famous Canarian banana. The pulp (or meat) is rich in starch and has a sweet taste.

balbisian muse

La balbisian muse, which we call plantain or pink banana, it can reach 7 meters in height and has a stem (false trunk) of about 30 centimeters in diameter. She is originally from Japan, and although she does not produce edible bananas, she is one of the progenitors of the Musa x paradisiaca, which is the hybrid that does produce them.

Types of plantains or bananas

To finish, let's see some varieties:

• Cavendish: it is a type of muse resistant to the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Within this group we find several cultivars, such as Valery, Lacatán or Robusta. All of them are eaten raw.
• Dwarf or Dominican banana: eIt is the smallest banana in the world, but it is sweet, so it is widely used to make cakes and all kinds of desserts.
• Plantain: it is the largest banana, with a slightly thicker skin than usual and a slightly tougher pulp. It has to be cooked to be eaten easily.
• Red banana: it is a variety that has reddish skin, and it is also thick. Its flavor is very peculiar, since it can remind us of the raspberry. In addition, it can be consumed as you like: either raw, or cooked.

Did you know what the differences were between plantain and banana?