Blue Java Bananas
(image via: Forest Starr and Kim Starr)
Blue Java bananas have a creamy texture when ripe and some have likened their flavor to that of vanilla custard. As such, it’s also known as the Ice Cream Banana and is popularly served in combination with the frozen dairy dessert. The bananas are light yellow but their name is derived from the pale, silvery blue hue of the unripened fruit. Though known for being cold-tolerant, Blue Java bananas are mainly grown in Southeast Asia, northern Australia, the Philippines, Hawaii and Central America.
Burro Bananas
(image via: Vegan Feast Catering)
Burro bananas have faceted, almost polygonal sides and are generally chubbier than the familiar Cavendish. These tough but tender cultivars do double duty as cooking bananas when not quite ripe and “dessert” bananas after they’re fully ripe. Ethnic and Asian supermarkets have begun stocking Burro bananas under several different names so be sure to look for the squared-off sides and, later, enjoy their fresh and (some say) slightly lemony flavor!

