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National Banana Lovers Day

Food · August 27

A food day for banana lovers, with a look at banana varieties, how the fruit is shipped and ripened, and its savory side in the kitchen.

National Banana Lovers Day falls on Friday, August 27, 2027. That is 304 days away.

Most bananas in American stores are one kind, the Cavendish. It is far from the only banana. Plantains, small sweet finger bananas and red bananas with purplish skins all show up in grocery stores, especially in Latin American and Asian markets.

Bananas are picked while still green and firm, which helps them survive the trip. They ripen after harvest, and growers and distributors often help the process along with ethylene, a gas the fruit also makes on its own. That is why a bunch on your counter keeps changing, and why putting bananas in a paper bag can speed them up.

Plantains are the banana's savory cousin. They are starchier and are usually cooked rather than eaten raw. Green plantains can be sliced thin and fried into chips, or fried, smashed and fried again as tostones. Ripe plantains, with skins gone nearly black, turn sweet and caramelized in a hot pan. In many kitchens, banana leaves are used to wrap food for steaming, adding a mild, grassy scent.

For a banana lover, the day is a chance to look past the usual bunch. Buy one variety you have never tried and taste it next to a familiar Cavendish. Red bananas tend to taste a little like raspberry to some people, and finger bananas are often sweeter than the big ones.

If you bring home a green plantain, give it a sharp knife and some patience, since its peel clings much harder than a dessert banana's does.

Ways to celebrate

• Try a banana variety you have never tasted, like red or finger bananas.
• Fry green plantain slices into tostones for a savory side.
• Ripen a hard banana faster by closing it in a paper bag.
• Look for banana leaves at an Asian or Latin market and steam something in them.
• Taste two banana types side by side and compare notes.

Dates

All national days on August 27

Also on August 27

• National Just Because Day
• National Pots de Crème Day

Categories: Food days