Edible Banana with SEEDS found in Assam India

jared · 09-21-2018, 11:33 PM

I found these bananas in the city of Guwahati, located in the North Eastern state of Assam. I bought them for a review series that I do and was surprised when I bit in to one and got a mouth full of rock hard seeds.

The flavor was good and I got it at a market so it seems to be a variety that is eaten in the region. Peel was thick, fibrous and peeled easily. Any ideas what it might be?

Also I'm curious about other regions of the world that consume bananas with seeds and if there is any particular way they are eaten.

Any help or resources I could check out would be a great help, thank you.

Jared

Richard · 09-22-2018, 01:31 AM

By definition, edible bananas do not have seeds.

Gabe15 · 09-22-2018, 01:55 AM

Looks to be Musa balbisiana, a common wild species found nearly everywhere bananas grow, even in areas where there are no native wild bananas as it is commonly used for many non-fruit uses. As Richard mentioned, in the banana world the term "edible" refers to bananas that can form pulp filled fruit without seeds, so though you can eat this banana (you can eat any wild bananas, they are not poisonous), it is not considered an "edible banana".

Botanical_Bryce · 09-22-2018, 02:07 AM

I have a balbisiana I hope to try at some point for novelty reasons.

Richard · 09-22-2018, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Botanical_Bryce

I have a balbisiana I hope to try at some point for novelty reasons.

Most of the flavorful seedless banana cutivars are results of a. x b. hybrids.

jared · 09-22-2018, 10:58 AM

Interesting. I didn't realize that bananas with seeds were all deemed "inedible". The ones I bought were sold to be eaten and I have heard from an Indian friend that her family would get bananas with seeds growing up and just spit the seeds out.

balbisiana would make sense for the region, according to google it originates from east India. I thought it could be sikkimensis based on the appearance.

Does anyone have other information about bananas with seeds being eaten in certain cultures?

Botanical_Bryce · 09-22-2018, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jared

Interesting. I didn't realize that bananas with seeds were all deemed "inedible". The ones I bought were sold to be eaten and I have heard from an Indian friend that her family would get bananas with seeds growing up and just spit the seeds out.

balbisiana would make sense for the region, according to google it originates from east India. I thought it could be sikkimensis based on the appearance.

Does anyone have other information about bananas with seeds being eaten in certain cultures?

I think it is a don't be wasteful mentality and not so much cultural. It's food it's there use it. I say that because I was raised that way.

Richard · 09-22-2018, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jared

... Does anyone have other information about bananas with seeds being eaten in certain cultures?

When you are poor, hungry, and wild seeded bananas are one of the few things you can find to eat.

edwmax · 09-22-2018, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Botanical_Bryce

I have a balbisiana I hope to try at some point for novelty reasons.

Try banana wine or beer. This would be a good use for this type of banana.

Botanical_Bryce · 09-22-2018, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edwmax

Try banana wine or beer. This would be a good use for this type of banana.

I dont drink but i want to try that.

edwmax · 09-23-2018, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Botanical_Bryce

I dont drink but i want to try that.

Then have a party and give the wine to friends. ... Oh, gon't forget me!!!

Gabe15 · 09-24-2018, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jared

Interesting. I didn't realize that bananas with seeds were all deemed "inedible". The ones I bought were sold to be eaten and I have heard from an Indian friend that her family would get bananas with seeds growing up and just spit the seeds out.

balbisiana would make sense for the region, according to google it originates from east India. I thought it could be sikkimensis based on the appearance.

Does anyone have other information about bananas with seeds being eaten in certain cultures?

Seeded bananas aren't ever really called "inedible", it's just that in the world of bananas "edible" has a specific meaning which is slightly different than it's general use. The alternative technical description would be something like "parthenocarpic domesticated cultivars", which is overly wordy for common use, so the term "edible" is used instead.

Additionally, edible bananas can sometimes contain significant amount of seeds. Whether or not a banana has seeds is more of a condition, and not a trait.

There are actually cultivars of M. balbisiana which are grown for the fruit, and seeds are present but stay soft and can be easily eaten with the pulp.

edwmax · 09-24-2018, 05:09 AM

Making Ugandan Warag, moonshine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDtcRnIhzi8

hademarqvce · 04-22-2020, 11:04 AM

I've never heard of bananas having such seeds. Perhaps these bananas are not suitable for eating raw, but only for cooking. Personally, I really like mini bananas, especially the red variety of bananas, they are more saturated and sweet than regular bananas. But unfortunately, when I was in London I got some allergy and I couldn't understand the reason why. Then I did a food intolerance test uk and it turned out that I can't eat bananas for a while. I had redness on my skin and small pimples that I couldn't get rid of. And when I stopped eating bananas, all the redness disappeared. I hope that after my course of treatment my body will recover and I will be able to eat my favorite bananas. After all, I can't imagine a day without a banana-berry smoothie.

edwmax · 04-22-2020, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hademarqvce

I've never heard of bananas having such seeds. Perhaps these bananas are not suitable for eating raw, but for cooking only.

Usually the seeds of 'wild' type bananas are hard as a rock. I believe those bananas are cooked in the Eastern counties AFTER the seeds are removed. The pstem plup and corm are scraped to remove the fibers and the resulting white dough is cooked like flat bread.

09-21-2018, 11:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
jared Zone: 7-8 Join Date: Jun 2016 Posts: 15 BananaBucks : 5,466 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 10 Times in 3 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Edible Banana with SEEDS found in Assam India I found these bananas in the city of Guwahati, located in the North Eastern state of Assam. I bought them for a review series that I do and was surprised when I bit in to one and got a mouth full of rock hard seeds. The flavor was good and I got it at a market so it seems to be a variety that is eaten in the region. Peel was thick, fibrous and peeled easily. Any ideas what it might be? Also I'm curious about other regions of the world that consume bananas with seeds and if there is any particular way they are eaten. Any help or resources I could check out would be a great help, thank you. Jared

09-22-2018, 01:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
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09-22-2018, 01:55 AM	#3 (permalink)
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09-22-2018, 02:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
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09-22-2018, 10:58 AM	#6 (permalink)
jared Zone: 7-8 Join Date: Jun 2016 Posts: 15 BananaBucks : 5,466 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 10 Times in 3 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Edible Banana with SEEDS found in Assam India Interesting. I didn't realize that bananas with seeds were all deemed "inedible". The ones I bought were sold to be eaten and I have heard from an Indian friend that her family would get bananas with seeds growing up and just spit the seeds out. balbisiana would make sense for the region, according to google it originates from east India. I thought it could be sikkimensis based on the appearance. Does anyone have other information about bananas with seeds being eaten in certain cultures?

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09-24-2018, 05:09 AM	#13 (permalink)
edwmax Location: Cairo, Ga Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 2,891 BananaBucks : 88,698 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,741 Times Was Thanked 4,440 Times in 2,095 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 414 Times	Re: Edible Banana with SEEDS found in Assam India Making Ugandan Warag, moonshine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDtcRnIhzi8

04-22-2020, 11:04 AM	#14 (permalink)
hademarqvce Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 3 BananaBucks : 1,094 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Edible Banana with SEEDS found in Assam India I've never heard of bananas having such seeds. Perhaps these bananas are not suitable for eating raw, but only for cooking. Personally, I really like mini bananas, especially the red variety of bananas, they are more saturated and sweet than regular bananas. But unfortunately, when I was in London I got some allergy and I couldn't understand the reason why. Then I did a food intolerance test uk and it turned out that I can't eat bananas for a while. I had redness on my skin and small pimples that I couldn't get rid of. And when I stopped eating bananas, all the redness disappeared. I hope that after my course of treatment my body will recover and I will be able to eat my favorite bananas. After all, I can't imagine a day without a banana-berry smoothie. Last edited by hademarqvce : 04-23-2020 at 05:52 AM.

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