Banana Tree Flower

Banana tree flowers come in many different shapes, colours and sizes depending on which species and variant you chose. The Banana ornata 'Bronze' will for instance produce yellow, orange or bronze flowers with an erect inflorescence that sports purple to lilac bracts with yellow tips. Musa beccarii, also known as the Orange Flame Banana, will bloom year round and is a popular cut flower. Musa velutina is commonly referred to as the Baby Pink Banana since the flowers of this variety matures into small, pastel pink bananas.

The liquid that forms inside a banana tree flower can taste really sweet – try it! If you don’t want it, there will be plenty of humming bees and other nectar loving insects happily flocking around your banana plant to drink the sweet nectar and pollinate the banana flower. The bananas that we find in the grocery store normally come from seedless cultivars that can no longer reproduce sexually, but if you do not plan on exporting your bananas or storing them for any longer periods of time, you can chose banana species and cultivars where the banana tree flower is still capable of producing viable seeds after being pollinated.

Banana tree flower recipe

In tropical parts of the world, the banana tree flower from certain banana species is an appreciated food. By following this simple recipe, you can make a delicious Vietnamese salad from bean sprouts, papaya and banana tree flower.

Banana tree flower

Ingredients

1 fresh banana flower
Lemon water
2 cups of daikon radish
1 cup of bean sprouts
1 green papaya
1 small red chili fruit
½ cup of cilantro
½ cup of unsalted peanuts
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of ginger
¾ up of Vietnamese sweet and sour sauce
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
¼ cup of soy sauce 

Instructions

1. Chiffonade the banana tree flower.
2. Leave the banana tree flower to soak in lemon water for 20 minutes. 
3. Julienne the daikon radish.
4. Rinse the bean sprouts.
5. Peel and julienne the papaya.
6. Chop the red chili, the cilantro, the peanuts, the garlic and the ginger.
7. Drain the banana tree flower.
8. Mix the banana tree flower with daikon radish, bean sprouts, papapya, chili, cilantro and peanuts in a big bowl.
9. In a separate bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, sweet and sour sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce.  
10. Pour the sauce over the banana tree flower salad and toss around until the salad is evenly coated.
11. Place the banana tree flower salad in the refrigerator for one hour before serving.