False Bananas
Estimated Inventory, ea : 0
Description/Taste
False banana plants are comprised of several edible and inedible elements. The plant’s fruits are small, averaging 2 to 8 centimeters in length, and have a short, cylindrical, straight, and slightly tapered shape. The fruit’s peel is textured, striated, and pliable, showcasing variegated yellow, green, and orange hues. Underneath the surface, the flesh is sticky, dense, and creamy, enveloping large, hard, black seeds. False banana fruits are not edible and are one of the only discarded portions of the plant. Some communities worldwide may eat the fruit, but insufficient research has been provided to deem them safe for consumption. What is known is that the plant’s pseudostems and corms are edible after cooking and processing. The pseudostem, which is the upright trunk-like portion, is made of overlapping layers of leaf sheaths. These sheaths have a fleshy interior that is crisp, moist, succulent, and edible when scraped and processed. False banana pseudostems can grow to be quite broad and thick. The corms are bulbous and irregular in shape, with a starchy, potato-like consistency when cooked. False banana pseudostems and corms have a neutral, very mild, vegetal, and earthy flavor.
Seasons/Availability
False banana plants are available year-round and are often sown in succession for staggard harvests. In Ethiopia, the plants are typically harvested between November through March.
Current Facts
False banana, botanically classified as Ensete ventricosum, is a general descriptor for an herbaceous plant belonging to the Musaceae family. There are several names for this species, including Ethiopian banana, Ensete, Abyssinian banana, and Enset, and almost all parts of the plant are utilized for various culinary, medicinal, and cultural purposes, especially in Ethiopia. It is important to note that only the domesticated forms of Ensete ventricosum are edible, and the wild versions of this species are not typically used. False banana plants are hardy, drought tolerant, and disease resistant. The perennial herbaceous species reaches 6 to 11 meters in height and is similar in structure to a banana plant, bearing a large pseudostem comprised of overlapping sheaths. The plant only flowers and produces fruit once in its life and then dies off, typically occurring at 6 to 8 years of age. False bananas belong to the same botanical family as the common banana plant, but they are distinct species and have little in common beyond their scientific family. Despite their banana moniker, False banana plants are traditionally harvested for their edible pseudostems and corms. The fruits are not consumed. Domesticated False bananas are currently being studied as a famine crop and are most notably associated with their role as a critical food source for African communities.
Nutritional Value
False banana plants have been utilized in natural medicines of Africa. The leaves, corms, and pseudostems are the most used portions of the plant for medicinal practices, and it is said that a boiled mixture is combined with milk and is used to heal bone fractures. False banana corms are a source of iron to develop the protein hemoglobin for oxygen transport through the bloodstream, calcium to protect bones and teeth, potassium to balance fluid levels, fiber to regulate the digestive tract, starches, and carbohydrates.
Applications
False banana plants are utilized in culinary preparations for their edible pseudostems and corms. The banana-like fruits are not consumed and most research sources state that the fruits are not edible. A few sources claim they are edible but unpalatable, but more research needs to be conducted before this claim can be made. For this article, the fruits are considered inedible, and only the corms and pseudostems are eaten after processing. In Ethiopia, False banana pseudostems and corms are scraped or beaten into a pulp and fermented underground for at least ninety days to create a base for three main preparations. The most famous preparation is known as kocho. False banana leaf sheaths that make up the pseudostem are scraped into small pieces, mixed with pounded corm, and then fermented. Once fermented, the dough-like mixture is stretched and formed into a flatbread. The mixture can also be combined with butter and spices and is then cooked on a griddle or in an oven. Kocho is traditionally served with meat, cheese, cabbage, or coffee. Another preparation made from a side product of producing kocho is called bulla or bu’la. This dish is made from white powder and is used to cook dumplings, pancakes, and other dough-like dishes. In addition to kocho and bulla, amicho is the final main preparation made with False banana. Amicho is comprised of fresh, cooked False banana corm. The starchy corm is boiled and develops a texture reminiscent of potatoes. False banana plants are not typically stored fresh and are immediately processed after harvest. Fermented mixtures of mashed corm and pseudostems can be kept for several years when properly stored.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
False banana plants are nicknamed the “tree against hunger” in Ethiopia. It is estimated that one domesticated plant can produce up to 40 kilograms of food at harvest, and the edible pseudostems and corms, once processed and fermented, can be stored underground for several months to years. False banana plants are one of the primary crops grown in Ethiopia, and there is a saying that “if you take care of the plant, the False banana will take care of you.” False banana plants can be planted in succession throughout the year to provide staggered harvests. The plants can survive several years with little water and are propagated by separating and planting shoots. Harvesting and processing False banana plants is traditionally a community event. The plants are cut down by the men in the community, and then each part of the plant is processed by groups of women. Parts not used by the community are fed as a food source to livestock. Beyond culinary use, fibers are stripped from the plant and are utilized for clothing, construction materials, and baskets. Seeds from the inedible fruits are strung together to make necklaces and rattles, and the large leaves are cut and served as a natural plate for food.
Geography/History
Domesticated False banana plants are descendants of wild False banana species native to regions of tropical Africa and southern Asia. Wild False banana plants have been naturally growing since ancient times and are not used for culinary or medicinal purposes. It is unknown when False bananas were first domesticated, but it is hypothesized that the cultivated, edible version arose from the Ethiopian Highlands and was grown as early as the Neolithic period, sometime between 10000 and 2200 BCE. Domesticated False bananas became a widespread crop in Ethiopia and were notably mentioned in the memoirs of 17th-century Jesuit missionary Jerónimo Lobo entitled “The Itinerario of Jeronimo Lobo.” Throughout history, domesticated False bananas have been primarily associated with Ethiopia, and the plants have become a central crop in the country to protect against famine. Outside of Ethiopia, False bananas are present in other African countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and South Africa. They are also occasionally seen in small populations in South America. Today, False banana plants thrive in cooler tropical regions and can grow up to 2,400 meters in elevation. The species is typically found in forests with ample rainfall or alongside streams and ravines. Processed portions of the False banana plant are primarily developed for home or community consumption, but they can sometimes be seen for sale in other markets and larger cities.
