JoeReal

Buy some semi-ripe saba banana from oriental stores. Peel them off and slice lengthwise to 1/4" thick slices. Heat canola or peanut oil in a pan under moderate heat and fry bananas 2-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Place fried banana slices unto a small plate, place about three slices side by side. Sprinkle some grounded salted peanuts, and then pour about 1 tbsp of sweetened condensed milk by making a serpentine (or other pattern) path of condensed milk across the banana slices. Served with black coffee or cold drinks.

Bananavilla

Buy some semi-ripe saba banana from oriental stores? JoeReal, I had purchased some labeled as Saba from a market down here and they are also carrying them at Savemart Supermarket. But, I swear they are Orinoco and not Saba. Are Saba's that angular?
Mike

JoeReal

I was surprised to see that orinoco's look like saba's fruits and are similar in taste and general appearance. Some saba fruits are squarish compared to the tri-angular like the orinocos. The only difference between saba and orinoco are in the looks and stature of the vegetative parts and not the fruits. Saba have a lot bigger diameter, bigger leaves, and a lot taller. But there are variations in saba plants as well. Some are dwarf like the orinoco. Cardaba are sometimes referred to as dwarf versions of saba. I believe all these bananas are related but need actual genetic tests. Maybe somebody here knows about such research work.

No matter what the others have to say, all of these are dominantly plantain types and can be prepared using the recipe posted.

Rmplmnz

Sabas have no curvature at all, are smaller than orinoco and not quite as angular.

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AnnaJW

This recipe sounds great! I will go search for Saba's soon!

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-Anna Banana -


From the earth we came,
to the earth we return...
in between we garden

JoeReal

In California, I still have to see an orinoco fruit bigger than the saba fruits in the Philippines. Have a decent piece of land in the Philippines and several untended saba, with the true definition of Philippine saba, which is indeed the sequoia of edible bananas. My saba in the Philippines can tower to more than 20 ft high at least, with trunk diameters reaching 3 to 4 ft, and the fruits are really big. The orinocos here in California, well, are itty bitty by comparison. I don't find the true saba to be really cold hardy here in California, they die back to the ground each winter with rotten pseudostem but returns every spring.

JoeReal

I don't discount a strong possibility that what people refer to saba could indeed be different plantain banana cultivars even in the Philippines. Again, I reiterate the disorderly naming of bananas.

Rmplmnz

Yep...Pilipinos refer to many bananas as Saba..ck out the saba pics in my gallery.

Pretty cool that you have banana plants growing in two continents…I am in a micro culture in Tampa (on a peninsula that is part of the big peninsula that is Florida) and my sabas go 25 feet with huge racemes…my most consistent producers…of course they are in a great spot.

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JoeReal

I have in my posession a dwarf mutant of saba and amazingly it is cold hardy, got it by exchanging my California gold pup with a friend in Wilmington Island (you know who). It has been planted to the ground just this spring, was potted and neglected for a while so it did not grow well but have survived the winters outdoors in a pot, usually potted bananas when left outside are more prone to cold damage than those in the ground. Anyway all I have to do is wait for the fruits maybe 2 to 3 years. Indeed it has oblong trunk, have not seen splotches yet, and shows signs of dwarfism, like umbrella leaf type pattern instead of the sword type that grows rapidly. This remains to be confirmed years later.

The other saba that I got elsewhere, they're all dead now or were given away.

JoeReal

Rmplmnz, your sabas are super! One of the best banana blossoms to use in salads and various exotic dishes are from saba. Was wondering why you just let them hang on, they are good to eat. The height that I was referring to is trunk height so the saba could actually grow to more than 40 ft high if you measure the tip of the leaves.

I don't think I will be able to grow the regular saba here, for now, I'm stuck with cold hardy dwarf versions of everything tropical.

Rmplmnz

Thanks!!
I have heard of eating the blooms...but I typically give them to friends..with the sabas I have difficulty reaching them....I was measuring 20 to 25 feet just the pseudostem. Based on your recomendation I will try some in salads. Which petioles are best (neat the center of the bloom or the exterior)? Just eat them in salad raw?
Thanks,
Chris

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