venturabananas

I was fortunate enough to try two bananas new to me, thanks to the generosity of Rainforezt. Chundillakannan and Njalipoovan are Indian cultivars. Apparently (based on the MGIS database), they are both in the AB groups, which is a relatively uncommon group, especially outside of India. Chundillakannan also goes by the name Kodappanillakunnan, and from what I can tell, Njalipoovan also goes by the name Rasakadali, and is the Ney Poovan subgroup.

If you don't want to read further, the brief summary is that both varieties are nice bananas with good flavor. My wife and I enjoyed Chundillakannan the most. Here are the details:

Cavendish on top for reference, below left to right: Njalipoovan, Chundillakannan, and Orinoco.
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Both bananas have very thin peels. L to R: Njalipoovan, Cavendish, and Chundillakannan:
[IMG][/IMG]

Chundillakannan:
• Firm texture but soft and smooth when chewed, custard-like and smoother than Cavendish, Manzano, etc.
• Very slight acidity and apple overtones (similar acidity to Manzano, but less apple flavor)
• Not dramatically different from Cavendish in flavor, but subtly better by having more complex flavor
• Very attractive light cream color
• Similar in size to Manzano


Njalipoovan:
• Very firm with some pulp (harder parts) unless very ripe; slippery almost slimy texture when chewed
• No acidity
• Simple, nice banana flavor; similar flavor to Cavendish but better than Cavendish when allowed to get very ripe
• No unusual taste components, just good, very sweet banana flavor
• Very white flesh
• Very small fruit


Both were best eaten when very ripe. No green on the peel and some to a lot of brown/black.


I also compared them to some other varieties I was able to get my hands on, Manzano and Reds.
L to R: Chundillakannan, Red, Manzano:
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Of the ones I tried side by side, Chundillakannan was my favorite -- better than Manzano, Red, Cavendish, and Njalipoovan.

There are others varieties that I would choose over Chundillakannan if I had the choice, notably Mysore subgroup and Pome subgroup (e.g., Brazilian). But Chundillakannan is a really nice banana that I would like to grow in my yard. Njalipoovan was a very nice, sweet banana, with good shelf life, but it didn't blow me away. A quality banana that I wouldn't throw out of the fruit bowl, but not one to write home about from my perspective.

Thanks again to Rainforezt.

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Dalmatiansoap

Nice report Mark. It would be great if mods would make a "taste reports" subforum?

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robguz24

I really enjoyed this report too! I never know if they're supposed to go in Main or under Fruit, but seems like they get more reads under Main.

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My micro-farm

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brothertom2020

Yo Mark: Great report and Ante, liked your idea of a "Taste" subgroup! So... after careful and due consideration, I decided that if Bananas. org wants to airship me several hands of each type, I will suffer through the testing process, and write a taste report, for the good of the order! Ahemmmm :-) Tom

Nicolas Naranja

I'll vouch for the Njalipoovan. They are excellent tasting.

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bananimal

After all these years my Njalipoovan goes in the ground today. Was potted and got lost in a sea of potted mango, bananas, lemons, cherimoya etc. I will finally get to taste them now.

sputinc7

I got a bunch of Njalipoovan from Nick a while back and honestly was not impressed.... I didn't try them again when nearly all brown, though. I tried them when a little green, all yellow and spotted. Never had any flavor, IMO. Like the baby bananas in the store, simply no flavor.

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https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

bananimal

Interesting. Will see later. I think I got mine from Nick too last time I was down in Pahokee.

venturabananas

Yep, totally agree. Njalipoovan is a good banana, but nothing special. There are many better varieties, including the other one I originally reviewed. I don't know if anyone other than Rainforestz is growing Chundillakannan. It is worth some space in your yard if you have a big collection of varieties. I would grow it if I could get it.

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Nicolas Naranja

They have to look over-ripe. They are kind of like 'manzano' in taste. The plant pups like crazy.

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.