Have you ever heard of a banana that tastes like vanilla ice cream? If you are active on social media, you might have come across some posts that claim to show a blue banana with a creamy flavor. But is this fruit real or just a hoax?
The blue banana, also known as the Blue Java, is a real kind of fruit that is native to Southeast Asia. It is a hybrid of two species of banana — Musa balbisiana and Musa acuminata — that are also native to the region.
The Blue Java banana has a distinctive “silver-green” or “blue-green” color, which it gets from a heavy coating of wax. The fruit can grow to a height of 4.5 to 6 metres (15 to 20 ft) and has a fragrant flavor that has a vanilla-like custard taste. The fruit can be eaten fresh or cooked, and is popular as an ornamental and shade plant for its unusual coloration, large size, and tolerance to temperate climates.
However, the blue banana that you see on social media is not exactly the same as the real one. A post shared thousands of times on Facebook shows two images of bananas that are bright blue — peels and all.
But this post paints a misleading picture of the fruit. While the bananas are blue-green when unripe, they are not the color pictured in the Facebook post, according to businesses that sell the fruit.
So why are people so fascinated by this blue banana? Perhaps it is because of its rarity and novelty, as well as its potential benefits for the environment. The Blue Java banana is much better able to resist cold spells than the varieties we are used to. This could make it a more sustainable and resilient crop in the face of climate change.
Relevant articles:
– Blue Java banana – Wikipedia
– Fact check: Blue Java bananas are not bright blue – USA TODAY
– Blue bananas are a thing — here’s what they taste like