Banana flower

Musa × paradisiaca · Edible flower

40 pairings

The banana flower (also called banana blossom or banana heart) is the large, teardrop-shaped purple-maroon bud that hangs at the tip of a developing banana bunch. Beneath its tough, waxy outer bracts lie tender pale-cream florets and a crisp, faintly astringent core that is eaten as a vegetable across South and Southeast Asia — sliced raw into salads, simmered into curries and stews, or fried.

Picking a good onedrag

Tight, heavy, bracts sealedPeeling, blackened, sour

Market freshStrip the tough outer bracts and pull the wiry stamen and the clear tepal from each floret - oil your hands, the sap stains - then slice into acidulated water.Everyday best

The budFirm, the outermost bract just lifting

In the handSolid, yields a little at the base

Cut stemFace drying, the sap gone rust-brown

Smell at the cutAlmost nothing, a clean starchy note

What to look for, from tight, heavy, bracts sealed to peeling, blackened, sour.

Preparing