Glen

I have both the "fake" 'Ice Cream', sourced as a tissue cultured plant, and the "real" 'Ice Cream', reliably sourced as a sucker.

In my opinion, under my growing conditions, and in the context of ABB bananas, I do not find the fruits to be very similar. I certainly would not say that they are substitutes for one another. While I like them both, I would say that only the "real" one has a flavor and texture that could reasonably be compared with a rich, creamy ice cream. When frozen and eaten with chocolate syrup, it is as good a dessert as any that I have had. It is hard to imagine that I am actually just eating a single fruit, as the complexity and richness of flavor makes me think that it must be a dessert with many different ingredients, not just a banana with chocolate syrup.

The "fake" one is also quite delicious, and I can actually eat more of them at a time, as they do not seem overpoweringly rich in flavor. However, I do not believe that the flavor and texture of this fruit would cause me to compare it with ice cream (no more so than many other bananas).

For anyone who has purchased an 'Ice Cream' plant based on its flavor description, but is uncertain what they really have, I would highly recommend they track down the real thing from a reliable member of this forum.

This brings up a question that I have: Has anyone positively verified that ANY tissue cultured 'Ice Cream' banana sold in the United States is actually the real ‘Ney Mannan’ plant?