Banana

            Musaceae

            Banana, Cultivated Banana

            Kluai-manee-ong, Mali-ong, Chek, Ya-khai, Sa-kui, Laek kluai tai (Department of Agricultural Extension, 2007)

            Inflorescence of racemes; bracts large, dark red, bearing 1-3 rows of flowers in their axil, upper flowers male; lower, female. Fruit in rows or clusters called “wi”, 7-8 pre stem or “khruea”, green when young and yellow when ripe. Plant dies after bearing fruit. (Department of Agricultural Extension, 2007)

            Contains protein, Vitamins A, B and C, calcium, iron potassium, copper and tannin. (Phak Phuen Ban A-han Phuen Mueang, 2007, 32) Ripe bananas are believed to boost energy as they quickly increase blood sugar and are rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron and Vitamins A and B. They can stimulate milk flow in women who have just given birth. (Thawithong Hongwiwat, 2004, 71). Lanna people can make many kinds of dishes from banana flowers (hua pli) such as kaeng pli, especially to induce milk flow after child birth. (Rattana Phromphichai, 1999, 58) The flowers can also be put in yam chin kai or boiled to dip in namphrik. The core of the stem can be made into a curry dish called “kaeng kluai dip” or chopped and added to yam nam sa or lu nam sa (made from the residue of fermented rice when making liquor). The ripe fruit is food for making such desserts as khanom kluai, khao tom hua ngok, khanom wong and steamed to make knual nueng. (Pratum Unsi, personal communication, June 26, 2007 ; Siwan Chamrat, personal communication, June 18, 2007)

The fruit has a mild taste whereas the flower is cool and slightly bitter, so it is good to quench thirst and for treatment of intestinal diseases and anemia. Green bananas are used to treat diarrhea and stomach ulcers (Department of Agricultural Extension, 2007)

            All year round.

            

Department of Agricultural Extension. (2007). Phak Phue Ban. Retrieved
June 10, 2007, fromhttp://singburi.doae.go.th/acri (in Thai).

Phak Phuen Ban A-han Phuen Mueang. (2007). Bangkok: Fai Aphai Co., Ltd. (in Thai).

Thawithong Hongwiwat. (2004). Saranukrom Phak. 2^nd ed. Bangkok: Saengdaet. (in Thai).

Rattana Phromphichai. (1999). “Kluai”. InSaranukrom Wattanatham Thai Phak Nuea (V. 1,pp. 55-58). Bangkok: The Siam Commercial Bank Foundation for the EncyclopediaofThai Culture. (in Thai).