Maya Hawaiian Plantain (Hua Moa)
 

Is anyone familiar with this plantain? What's the cultivar name?

A fruit grower from Hawaii was discussing on another forum that plantains are fine as a dessert banana but that you need to let them get very ripe. This initially came up in the discussion of Ae Ae fruits.

Another friend, also from California like myself, found some "Maya Hawaiian Plantains" in a market here in NorCal. He has traveled around the world extensively and has eaten many different fruits and is quite selective. But he later reported that after allowing these plantains to ripen, he considered them to be the best tasting banana he has ever had.

Today I had a surprise package in the mail, a box which contained two of these plantains. I don't have time for photos now (will work around the clock tonight as it is), but I'm very curious about these things. They are between 3 and 3.5 inches thick and 6 to 8 inches long. They are big!

I did some searching and see that Maya is part of the Ladex corporation of Miami and this company mostly deals in shrimp and fish. I can't find out much about these.

Thanks in advance,

Harvey

:woohoonaner:

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

The only bananas that I know that are that thick are the Hua Moa and the Popoulu, which according to some are the same fruit anyway. Do the fruits that you have, have roundish ends, i.e., as opposed to a bottleneck?

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Also, does the pulp of the fruit you received have orange-pink pulp? If so, then it is the Hua Moa/Popoulu.

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Okay, I took a photo. Let's say you would have a tough time poking your eye out with it!

The fruit is not ripe yet, I don't know what the color the flesh will be.

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Popoulu/Hua Moa! Without question.

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Maya is a misspelling of the Hawaiian word for banana, mai'a (pronounced as my-ah, with a break in between). That fruit you have is a Hua Moa, or another similar member of the Popo'ulu subgroup of Pacific traditional banana varieties (there are various kinds and they go by different names throughout the Pacific). They are generally regarded as cooking bananas (though as mentioned, can be eaten raw when ripe enough) and should not be confused with true plantains, which are very different.

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Cool, especially since I have a Hua Moa coming from Sandy any day now. :D

I had seen photos of them before but didn't even connect them as I hadn't thought they were this big. Grab a couple of these and you're prepared for a short journey!

Also, my wife likes peanut butter and banana sandwiches and a length-wise slice of one of these should be just the ticket if I let it ripen enough.

Thanks Chong and Gabe!

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Nice! I just got a Hua Moa from Sandy a few weeks ago and it is growing nicely. I'm hoping for fruit next year!

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Gabe, I don't think Maya in this context probably has anything to do with the Hawaiian name for bananas. The distributor is the Miami-based Ladex Corp. (see LADEX. Distributors of Maya Products.) and they put the Maya name on various products of shrimp and other types of fish. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but a very interesting one at that!

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Oh...well, cool coincidence then!

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

'Hua Moa' at the Fruit and Spice Park, Homestead, FL.

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Yeah, I saw that in the wiki and wondered where that was from. I hope mine arrives safely and grows up and fruits here in zone 9. The wiki says it is damaged at 40F but then also says it is rated hardy to zone 8-9. Thanks to Sandy, I think several of us will be testing it out.

Is Hua Moa grown commercially in Florida? I don't know if my bananas came from Florida or someplace else.

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Guys,
Hi, how are you?! I am starting a project where I need hua moa variety. We are growers of cavendish bananas in Ecuador but would be looking forward to start growing hua moa. Does anybody know where can I get corms for this variety?
Thank you in advance.
Best Regards,
Luis

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

I cut my Hua Moa bunch down recently and someone stole it from my front porch when I was out of town for a couple days!

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

I hate it when someone steals from my yard. I'd be fuming if it were bananas from my plants. Sorry to hear that Jarred.

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

That is outrageous Jarred! What next - chain them down? So sorry!
Cassie

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

They took it from your front porch? Makes you wish that you showed up with your fully charged and loaded paint ball gun about that time doesn't it?

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Though I live in Santa Barbara, CA my New York heritage would come out if someone stole my plants! I'm sorry to hear someone is that shallow.

Andrew

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Thats a d*mn shame!!!
No matter where you live, seems like there's always a scandalous,rotten idiot!!!

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Darn scousers! (Nod to 51st State for teaching this one to me)

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Sorry to hear about that, Jarred.

On an nicer note, I just noticed that my Hua Moa has a pup now!

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

Thanks for the kind words! I was pretty upset. I wanted to at least get some photos of them, I have some of the bunch but wanted more specific closeups. The area on the fruit where the female flower detached from looks like the face on a Tiki statue, each banana had a different face (some didnt have one though), it was really awesome!
I loved that house but I just moved to an even better home and don't foresee anything like that happening here, much less foot traffic, solicitors and unexpected guests etc are virtually nonexistent here.

Re: Maya Hawaiian Plantain
 

I made a mistake here though in this thread, I was speaking about my Ele Ele bunch that were stolen.
(The fruits look virtually the same although I cannot confirm the faces on the Hua Moa as I have yet to bloom one.)
I posted about it here http://www.bananas.org/f2/has-anyone...html#post50483