Harvested my first bunch of Praying Hands this week, and it was also my first taste of them. Pretty good out of hand when very ripe, and very good cooking banana.
TEXTURE-Sort of fluffy on the outer part of the fruit, more chewy in the middle, with an overall creamy, pleasant texture.
FIRMNESS-The middle part keep the banana pretty firm, even when the outer part seems very ripe and mushy.
SWEETNESS-Medium sweetness, less than a ripe Namwah.
TARTNESS-Medium tartness, more tart in the middle. Less tart than a Dwarf Brazilian.
RIPENESS-I ate these out of hand about as ripe as I could get them. The skin is bruised, but since the skin is thick, the flesh is just a bit mushy on the outer part, but the inner part remains firm. There should be no green at all anywhere on the fruit or pedicel. They can be mostly yellow and still work great as a cooking banana. I’m not a fan of cooking bananas cooked when totally green.
FLAVOR-I get kind of an orange-peach-apple taste out of it, with a kind of vegetal or musty taste which is more pronounced the less ripe they are. UPDATE-musty taste is from a mold that develops especially in the folds and when not contaminated while eating have no musty taste at all! Kind of reminds me of musty wine cork, but it’s balanced out by the more fruity taste when eaten very ripe. I get that same musty thing with other Sabas I’ve had, and it seems less pronounced in these Praying Hands. This keeps me from giving it a higher rating, and that aftertaste lingers more than the good tastes. However, it works very well when used as a cooking banana. Stays pleasantly firm with a meaty texture. It’s one of the better tasting ones, up there with Hua Moa. I’ve seen them described as having a vanilla taste, which I don’t agree with.
OTHER-These medium sized fruit feel hearty and substantial. They seem more filling that a similar sized DB or Cavendish. More than many other bananas, they can look overripe and bruised and are still very good, probably at their peak. The first couple hands came out single rowed and not totally fused. Lower hands were double rows and more fused. They come apart easily, though may tear the peel of the one you’re removing is stuck to.
OVERALL RATING-7 out of hand, maybe 8 as a cooking banana. Been eating them about 50/50. Worth growing even aside from how cool the hands look.
SUGGESTED USE-Out of hand when very ripe, cooking when somewhat or mostly yellow. These aren’t super sweet, so I wouldn’t use them with desserts, ice cream, in cereal, etc.