4 ms·

Interesting, I was just going to say how varied and incredibly tasty the local Lao bananas are. I wonder if we have different taste or you've tried different on

Interesting, I was just going to say how varied and incredibly tasty the local Lao bananas are. I wonder if we have different taste or you've tried different ones than I have. The ones I like best are the very small "good smelling bananas" (ກ້ວຍຫອມ).

latchkey 7y ago
I found that when you first bite into the outside, it was good, but as you got into the center, it had a very bad taste that ruined the experience of the outside. It was a weird and totally unexpected thing for me since I normally love bananas. I tried stopping at several different vendors (stands) on the roadside to make sure it wasn't just one. I was mostly north of Vientiane, so maybe the southern ones are better.
- fouc 7y ago
  There's definitely a few different strains of bananas in asia, it's not uncommon to see 2-3 different types of bananas being sold right next to each other in the markets. The most obvious indicator to me is the size of the individual bananas, the smaller ones taste pretty weird to me. OH, and also I assume there's a bit of a taste difference with the bananas we're used to because they weren't dosed in Ethlyene to hasten the ripening. (In western countries the grocery warehouse has a room for spraying bananas in ethlyene before delivering to the grocery stores)
  - ferzul 7y ago
    2-3 doesn't sound like much, even in australia we have that
    - abrugsch 7y ago
      In the UK we don't. you have to hunt pretty hard to find a banana that isn't a cavendish (or a plantain) In fact I don't think I've ever seen a second variety since i've started looking... (probably in the wrong markets, but that's kind of my point)
      - tempguy9999 7y ago
        Sure they do. I live in london. Go to shepherd's bush market[0] and you can find cooking bananas like plantain, bluggo and matoke (my fave), and for desert bananas you can find fig/monkey bananas, red bananas and I think I've seen more. Go somewhere caribbean oriented and you'll have a better chance. Plus you'll find other unusual stuff too. [0] worth it just for being the polar opposite of a sterile, well ordered, monoculture of a supermarket. It's fab. (Edit: I didn't read your comment properly so my reply isn't so relevant)
- pvaldes 7y ago
  > it had a very bad taste that ruined the experience of the outside Maybe you picked a plantain instead a banana. They are big and showy, but unedible unless cooked (or almost rotten)

latchkey 7y ago

I found that when you first bite into the outside, it was good, but as you got into the center, it had a very bad taste that ruined the experience of the outside. It was a weird and totally unexpected thing for me since I normally love bananas. I tried stopping at several different vendors (stands) on the roadside to make sure it wasn't just one. I was mostly north of Vientiane, so maybe the southern ones are better.

fouc 7y ago
There's definitely a few different strains of bananas in asia, it's not uncommon to see 2-3 different types of bananas being sold right next to each other in the markets. The most obvious indicator to me is the size of the individual bananas, the smaller ones taste pretty weird to me. OH, and also I assume there's a bit of a taste difference with the bananas we're used to because they weren't dosed in Ethlyene to hasten the ripening. (In western countries the grocery warehouse has a room for spraying bananas in ethlyene before delivering to the grocery stores)
- ferzul 7y ago
  2-3 doesn't sound like much, even in australia we have that
  - abrugsch 7y ago
    In the UK we don't. you have to hunt pretty hard to find a banana that isn't a cavendish (or a plantain) In fact I don't think I've ever seen a second variety since i've started looking... (probably in the wrong markets, but that's kind of my point)
    - tempguy9999 7y ago
      Sure they do. I live in london. Go to shepherd's bush market[0] and you can find cooking bananas like plantain, bluggo and matoke (my fave), and for desert bananas you can find fig/monkey bananas, red bananas and I think I've seen more. Go somewhere caribbean oriented and you'll have a better chance. Plus you'll find other unusual stuff too. [0] worth it just for being the polar opposite of a sterile, well ordered, monoculture of a supermarket. It's fab. (Edit: I didn't read your comment properly so my reply isn't so relevant)
pvaldes 7y ago
> it had a very bad taste that ruined the experience of the outside Maybe you picked a plantain instead a banana. They are big and showy, but unedible unless cooked (or almost rotten)