jared

Hey there, I'm in need of some expert banana advice!

I have a youtube series where I review rare fruit around the world and on request I've decided to try and hunt down the Gros Michel in SE Asia. Sorry if you guys are fed up with Gros Michel talk

I was told that in Malaysia this banana is called Pisang Embun or Pisang Ambun, so I went to several markets and when I asked, I was shown a variety that is ripe while its still green. A Malaysian friend of mine said that they can be eaten yellow as well but that locals prefer it green. Has anyone heard of that with the Gros Michel?

Anyway after being publicly humiliated in one market for asking for yellow ones, I eventually found these specimens. I also picked up some green ones while I was at it.

Are either of these the Gros Michel? Excuse the poor quality, these are screen caps from the video

Yellow banana 1


Yellow banana 2


Green banana 1


Green banana 2

robguz24

Difficult to say from those pics. What color was the flesh? White or more golden? Gros Michel are basically green ripe for me in Hawaii. When they're all yellow they're overripe. Also, peeling them is similar to tearing a sheet of paper. They have some resistance that grocery store cavendish types don't have.

__________________
My micro-farm

Stay on my Big Island banana farm cottage

jared

The flesh was white, similar to a Cavendish but a bit more succulent and with a stronger flavor. I do recall them being a bit harder to open

Here is a rough edit of the video I plan on posting. If you don't want to hear the whole story on it, just scrub through to 4:30 for the yellow ones and 9:45 for the green ones. I was told that both were Pisang Embun, the Malay name for the Gros Michel.

http://youtu.be/5DoMCLSaUec

robguz24

Check this thread if you haven't yet.
Gros Michel taste report

The flesh tends to be more golden yellow vs. white like a grocery store one. However, I get that golden color on some cavendish types too.

For me, GMs are much more fragrant than cavs, and the texture is much more creamy rather than more pasty as in cavs.

The having a bit of sourness when greener sounds right for GM.

Overall my take on it is they certainly could be GM. One thing for me that differentiates them from cavs is that cavs have a distinctive taste/aftertaste that maybe is a bit chemically tasting. It's difficult to describe but it's one of the things I don't like about cavs.

Minor point on the video, the smaller fruit are at the bottom of the bunch, not the top.

__________________
My micro-farm

Stay on my Big Island banana farm cottage

bananaT

Hey!!!
I'm subscribed to your YouTube channel.
Love the videos!

I was fortunate enough to be able to taste a GM not too long ago.
Very green, Big fruit, nice acidity, very pale, but still yellowish flesh.
Hope it helps, because I have no idea when it comes to all the different names
For different regions.

__________________
Come visit my corner spot; read some interesting post, buy rare edible plants & animals
and maybe learn something!
SUBCRIBE!!
https://youtu.be/sPa7tzsIbhM

T.Farms

jared

Thanks! These could very well be GM then. I was told the Malay name for them, so I just want to make sure that that was accurate and I wasn't sold the wrong kind.

jared

Thanks! Glad you like the videos. Just gotta check my sources on this one, I'm not very well versed on spotting banana varieties either. But the edible while green factor certainly helps support these being GMs. Appreciate the help!