Bananas are Yummy- But What Else?

I remember how my brother and I could finish a tray of bananas when we were still kids. It was like a healthy popcorn version for us because we would watch TV while eating the bananas. Well, it sure is a healthy thing to do. Our mom would even call us monkeys. We are banana lovers but it doesn’t mean we are monkeys. lol


Bella also loves bananas. Every time she sees those yellow fruits on a tray, she would say, “Mommy, I want to eat banana.” And when she has eaten one banana, she would ask for another one saying, “Want another banana.” We are glad that Bella likes eating bananas and other fruits too. Good thing there are lots of bananas in our country.

Bananas in the Philippines

The Philippines is the third largest producer of bananas. This is because of the tropical climate in our area which is perfect for growing bananas. Banana is a common snack or merienda in our country. As a matter of fact, I consider this as one of my favorite snacks. But if you think this is the usual yellow bananas that are merely peeled before eaten, you are wrong. I’ll be showing you one banana recipe that I love to cook and of course EAT! But before that, allow me to show you the different varieties of bananas that grow in my country.

1. Señorita bananas. These are small bananas but are sweet and very tasty! They are small just like the size of a finger but it looks like a fat finger 😀


2. Latundan bananas. These bananas are round-tipped with thin yellow skin that splits once fully ripe. This is most commonly available in the market.


3. Lacatan bananas. These bananas come in different sizes. They can be long and slender and some are long and chubby. You can just let them ripe on your kitchen and you’ll get a yummy aroma once its ripe.


4. Cavendish bananas. These are also called “dessert” or Chiquita bananas and are usually for export especially that they have long storage life.


5. Cardaba or Saba bananas. These bananas have a robust shape and are larger. It has a starchy flavor perfect for cooking. This is used to make banana chips, banana cue and other delicious recipes.


It is said that the Philippines has so many banana varieties which means that there are still a lot of them missing in my list. These are the only ones I know about. My mom said that there are also bananas that have so many seeds in it. They used to play with the seeds like a gun by blowing the seeds from their mouths towards their playmates when they were still kids. It sounds funny to me especially that I haven’t encountered bananas with seeds.


Oh. Here is one banana fact that I want to share to you:

Bananas are Healthy!

Of course they are! That is why it is recommended to eat them. Even babies can eat them already especially that they are soft. There are also baby foods that are banana flavored. Bananas are a good source of potassium, dietary fiber, manganese and vitamins B6 & C. Primarily, they are really a good source of potassium. A 100 g banana could provide 358 mg potassium. This is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Eating 100 g of bananas could provide 90 calories. It has fibers in it which helps in digestion and lessens constipation problems. It can also be a moderate source of vitamin-C which helps protect us from infectious agents. Eating fresh bananas could also give adequate levels of minerals like copper, magnesium, and manganese.


Well, who would doubt the health benefits of a banana? I guess no one would!

Banana Cue (Caramelized Banana) Recipe

As promised, I am going to share to you one of my favorite banana recipes. We are going to use a Saba banana for this recipe. Saba can be cooked in so many ways and would always be delicious! Sometimes, we just cook them in water and then eat them once cooked. You can also grill them which we locally call “Dangdang Q” haha. I dunno why we call it that way. It can also be a perfect addition to a Halo-halo (Mix-mix) which is a refreshing snack with different ingredients in it mixed together. Oh well, I couldn’t talk about the different Saba recipes on one post. I can share to you other recipes next time. For now, here is how you can make a Banana Cue or Banana Q or a Caramelized Banana. Whatever you call it, it is still delicious!


What You Need:
Saba Bananas
Brown Sugar
Cooking Owl


1. Peel and cut the bananas in halves crosswise.
2. Heat oil on pan.
3. Place bananas on pan then let it cook for a while.
4. Add sugar and let it melt until it sticks to the bananas. But sometimes I prefer to eat it with crunchy sugar around the bananas so I don’t let it melt too much. 🙂
5. Wait until golden brown and your done.


It is that simple but is very very delicious! Well, I might be a bit biased because this is a personal fave but I think if you try making one, you’ll love it too. This taste a lot better when wrapped with Spring-roll/ Lumpia wrappers. Nom nom nom.


So that’s it for today. I just wanted to share something that I love a lot. If your kiddos don’t eat bananas, you can let them see this videos:






This is a fun song from Pancake Manor. Bella likes this very much.Or they might want to see another Banana Song from the famous banana characters called Minions from Despicable Me:






If the first video was a fun banana song, the second one is a funny song.lols. These Minions are really cute! I can’t help but laugh. Well, that could be one thing a banana could give us all: HAPPINESS.