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| BANANA. |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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ORIGIN AND VARIETIES
The banana has his origin in southern Asia, being known in the Mediterranean from 650 A.D. The species came to Canaries in the XVth century and from there it was taken to America in the year 1516. The commercial cultivation begins in Canaries at the end of the XIXth century and the beginning of the XXth century. The male banana and the bananito are own of the Asian Southwest, his cultivation has spread to many regions of Central America and South America, as well as of subtropical Africa; constituting the base of the feeding of many tropical regions. The banana is the fourth fruits cultivation more important than the world. The Latin-American countries and of the Caribbean Sea they produce the thickness of the bananas that enter the international trade, approximately 10 million tons, of the world whole of 12 million tons. It is considered to be the principal cultivation of the humid and warm regions of the Asian Southwest. The consumers of the north appreciate it only like a dessert, but it constitutes an essential part of the daily diet for the inhabitants of more than hundred tropical and subtropical countries.
 The most outstanding varieties are:
There exists a big number of varieties of cultivation in East; every region has its own varieties adapted to the local climatic conditions. Nevertheless, the varieties got in the American tropics are much more limited. Between the above mentioned varieties destined for the exportation stands out,for possessing extraordinary qualities as for the handling and the conservation. The varieties of dwarf banana proceeding from the Canaries are the only ones that produce fruit with excellent qualities of conservation, which can be cultivated in a typically subtropical climate, emphasizing the traditional varietyAt present also the variety is cultivated in Canaries and in the last years, another two local selections called Cultivating is a fruit of the intermediate Israelite selection in height between Small and Big Dwarf. is a variety much cultivated in the region of the Caribbean Sea and South America. The variety comes from Guadeloupe, the variety of Martinique and the variety of Oceania, all of them of the dwarf group. is a variety of extraordinary flavor. is a variety characterized by his sweet flavor. is the variety most cultivated in the Philippines, of very agreeable flavor, which mature fruit between 90 and 100 days after the last harvest.
HIS BEST EPOCH
It is possible to find this delightful and nourishing fruit on the market during the whole year.
CHARACTERISTICS
 have oblong, elongated and slightly curved form.
 the weight of the male banana is of the biggest, going so far as to weigh approximately 200 grams or more every unit. The bananito is much smaller than the rest of bananas and his weight ranges concerning 100-120 grams.
 according to the variety, the skin can be of greenish, yellow, yellow - reddish or red yellow color. The male banana has a thick and greenish skin and his pulp is white. In the bananito, the pulp is of color an ivory and the skin, thin and yellow.
 the banana and the bananito stand out because his flavor is sweet, intense and perfumed. In the male banana, the pulp has a floury consistency and his flavor, in contrast to the rest of bananas of consumption in crude oil, it is not sweet since scarcely it contains simple carbohydrates.
The bananas can be gathered the whole year and they are more or less abundant according to the station. They are cut when they have reached his finished development and when they begin yellowing.
Often, and especially in winter, the compilation is anticipated and the fruits allow to ripen suspending them in a closed, dry and warm place preserved in the darkness. The stiff one is carried out in cartons with a 12 kilograms approximate weight or of 15 kilograms. The transport of the fruit is realized in vehicles refreshed with an approximate temperature of 14ºC.
HOW TO CHOOSE IT AND TO PRESERVE IT
They have always to be intact, without blows or bruises.
In the banana of raw consumption and the bananito, the color of the skin is an indicative of the grade of ripeness of the fruit. There have to discard the copies that are excessively soft. The presence of spots and black or brown points in the skin does not affect to the quality of the piece.
This fruit does not need a few special conservation conditions, it is enough to support them in a fresh, dry place protected from the direct light of the sun. If they survive in the refrigerator, the rind of the banana turns black therefore his external aspect falters, but this does not affect by no means to his nourishing quality. The darkening of the skin can be avoided if they are wrapped in newsprint.
The bananas also can freeze, so that they survive for some 2 months. The bananitos, also, survive better in bunch and not free, and have to boil away as soon as possible once they have reached his ripeness.
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Composition for 100 grams of eatable portion |
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Calories |
85,2 |
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Carbohydrates (g) |
20,8 |
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Fibre (g) |
2,5 |
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Magnesium (mg) |
36,4 |
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Potassium (mg) |
350 |
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Provitamina A (mcg) |
18 |
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Vitamin C (mg) |
11,5 |
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Acid fólico (mcg) |
20 |
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| mcg = micrograms |
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NOURISHING PROPERTIES
He emphasizes his carbohydrates content, therefore his caloric value is high. The nutrients most representative of the banana are the potassium, the magnesium, the acid fólico and substances of astringent action; without despising his high contribution of fibre, of the type fruit - oligosacáridos. The above mentioned turn it into an appropriate fruit for those who suffer from processes diarreicos. The potassium is a mineral necessary for the transmission and generation of the nervous impulse and for the normal muscular activity, it intervenes in the water balance inside and out of the cell. The magnesium is related to the functioning of intestine, nerves and muscles, is part of bones and teeth, improves the immunity and possesses a soft laxative effect. The acid fólico intervenes in the production of red and white globules, in the material synthesis genetically and the formation antibodies of the immune system. He helps to treat or prepare anemias and of forked thorn in the pregnancy.
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