MORADO: Mapula ba ang BANANA MO?

Looking for banana? There are different types we can choose from . There are bananas that are long but thin like the Cavendish, long and thick like the Lacatan, short but thick like the Saba, and very very short such as the Senyorita .Others vary in color, some are pale and some are bright and some are dark. But this particular banana that I am going to feature is different among those I have mentioned and I am very proud that my banana is reddish to purple and very thick known as Morado.

Last night while preparing for our dinner, a child approached me near our door making “suroy”   (selling by foot) of bunches of goods in his basket. What stole my attention was this big and red banana he was carrying on his head so I bought 2 kilos for Php30.00. 

The last time I saw a red banana was two years ago in the market of Carbon in Cebu before heading to my trip in Bantayan Island . This banana is no longer new to me since I have grown my early childhood in Samar eating mix type of boiled and unripe banana for breakfast, lunch and dinner as substitute for rice which was scarce to our mountainous place during those times.

In Mindanao this banana is also called “Morado” which in english it means purple. The size is quite bigger compare to a regular banana but shorter than the regular Cavendish. It is considered as the most nutritious banana as it contains more carotene. The taste is a little acrid when unripe and sweet and creamy when fully ripe.

Morado or Musa acuminata is actually not a mutant species or hybrid of banana as others think of .In fact it is one of the pure cultivars of the said species along with Musa balbisiana in which both are seeded banana. The fruit is very much distinct as it bears bigger black seeds like small irregular shaped rocks.

The said species in known to be distributed in South and Southeast Asia, Pacific and Australia and had been cultivated in other countries through Polynesian sailors thousands of years ago and was highly commercialized during the western's colonization era.The seed can germinate in a very humid environment and act as a pioneer species in any barren soil.

Here in Mindanao I have seen the other variant of the Morado that instead of becoming reddish or purple it turned bright yellow resembling the other “regular” bananas in the local market. Same size and flavor only differ in color. 

I cannot push for you to eat a big bright red banana as people have preferences in food but I  strongly suggest for you to try this as it would satisfy your curiosity on how a Morado banana tastes like.So what are you waiting for? Go out now and hit the market and look for your red banana.

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