Banana in the Philippines : Saba Banana, Known Also As Cardaba

Saba Banana

Saba banana is a triploid hybrid (ABB) banana cultivar originating from the Philippines. It is primarily a cooking banana though it can also be eaten raw. It is one of the most important banana varieties in Philippine cuisine. It is also sometimes known as the Cardaba banana, though the latter name may be more correctly applied to a very similar cultivar also classified within the Saba subgroup.

Saba bananas have very large, robust pseudostems that can reach heights of 20 to 30 ft (6.1 to 9.1 m). The trunk can reach diameters of 3 ft (0.91 m). The trunk and leaves are dark blue-green in color. Like all bananas, each pseudostem flowers and bears fruits only once before dying. Each mat bears about eight suckers.

The fruits become ready for harvesting 150 to 180 days after flowering, longer than other banana varieties. Each plant has a potential yield of 26 to 38 kg (57 to 84 lb) per bunch. There are typically 16 hands per bunch, with each hand having 12 to 20 fingers.

Saba bananas grow best in well-drained fertile soils with full sun exposure. They inherit most of the characteristics of Musa balbisiana, making them tolerant of dry soil and colder conditions of temperate climates. They require minimum rainfall and can survive long dry seasons as long as adequate irrigation is provided. However, their fruits may not ripen under such conditions. They also have good resistance against Sigatoka leaf spot diseases.

The fruits are 8 to 13 cm (3.1 to 5.1 in) long and 2.5 to 5.5 cm (0.98 to 2.17 in) in diameter. Depending on the ripeness, the fruits are distinctively squarish and angular. The flesh is white and starchy, making it ideal for cooking. They are usually harvested while still green after 150 to 180 days after planting, especially if they are to be transported over long distances.

Saba bananas are one of the most important bananas in the Philippines. The fruits provide the same nutritional value as potatoes. They can be eaten raw or cooked into various traditional Filipino desserts and dishes like Maruya/Sinapot, Turrón, Halo-halo, Banana cue and Ginanggang. It is also popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore in dishes like Pisang Aroma (similar to the Filipino Turrón) and Pisang goreng (fried bananas).

Saba is also processed into a Filipino condiment known as Banana ketchup, invented by the Filipino food technologist and war heroine Maria Y. Orosa (1893–1945). The dark red inflorescence of Saba (banana hearts, locally known in the Philippines as "Puso ng Saba") are edible. The waxy, green leaves are also used as traditional wrappings of native dishes in Southeast Asia. Fibers can also be taken from the trunk and leaves and used to manufacture ropes, mats, and sacks.

Saba bananas are also cultivated as ornamental plants and shade trees for their large size and showy coloration.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saba_banana

Banana Cue, A Popular Philippine Snack

Banana cue

A Banana cue or Banana Q (Tagalog: Banana kyu) is a popular snack food in the Philippines of deep fried bananas coated in caramelized brown sugar. Banana cue is made from Saba bananas. It is usually skewered on a bamboo stick, and is sold on the streets. The skewer stick is just for ease of serving and eating, but is not cooked on the skewer

Saba (Cardaba banana), or Saging na Saba is used, which is the most common cooking variety of banana in the Philippines.

The 'que' (pronounced 'Q') on banana-que must have been coined to mean 'on a stick', which is taken from the the word barbecue, since we, Filipinos call our Grilled Pork on a stick 'barbecue'.


YOUR BANANAQUE SHOPPING LIST:

IN THE PANTRY:

Light or Dark Brown Sugar
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Bamboo Skewers
INGREDIENTS

12 pcs. Saba Banana
1 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
4-6 cups Vegetable Oil for Frying
6 pcs. Bamboo Skewers
PREPARATION TIME : 3 minutes

COOKING TIME :15 minutes

1 Cut one end of the banana and remove the peel.
2 Heat up the oil on medium heat add the brown sugar. Cook for a couple minutes.
3 Put the banana and stir gently and continuously.
4 Cook for 10 minutes or until the sugar has stuck on the banana.
5 Skewer the banana directly while taking out of the pan.
6 Let it cool down for a bit on a wire rack before serving. Do not cover or the hardened sugar will melt down from steam.

TIPS:

• Choose bananas that are a little soft but not ripe, so they do not get mushy when cooked.
• If Saba Banana is not available, you can use Ripe Plantains. Slice into 1 1/2 inch lengths, but make sure the plantains are ripe as they are not as sweet and soft as the saging na saba if unripe.
• Adjust the brown sugar according to your taste. If you want a lot of caramelized sugar sticking to the banana, have at least 1 cup sugar per 4-5 bananas.
• Out of brown sugar? Caramelize white sugar first on low to medium heat (without water) to make it golden brown, then add the oil and banana.
• After frying, set aside the oil for later use. As long as you use medium heat when frying, there will be no burnt sugar on the oil. But make sure you strain before you set aside.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_cue
http://www.filipino-food-recipes.com/bananaque.html

Anything You Need To Know About Banana In The Philippines

One of the most common and widely grown fruit crops in the Philippines is banana. It has consistently ranked next to coconut oil and prawns in terms of value earnings during the last five years. It has become an important source of the much needed dollars for the country.

In 1991, banana topped local production among the other major fruits such as pineapple and mango, thus eating up more than one-third of the production pie.
Banana has various uses. The ripe fruit is pureed, candied, and preserved in various forms when not eaten fresh. Its extract is used in the manufacture of catsup, vinegar, and wine. The unripe fruit is powdered and chipped.

In rural areas, the young leaves are pounded to suppress bleeding and treat wounds. The leaves are also widely used as packing materials for fruits and vegetables in market centers. Banana fiber is manufactured into rope, sack, and mat. Sheets of paper and paper boards are also made from banana peel. Banana blossom is exported dried. Filipino housewives use it in special dishes.

VARIETY

Banana is native to Southeast Asia where the climate is warm and humid. Of the 57 banana cultivars, the following are the most common in the Philippines:

Saba

1. Saba grows to as tall as 20 feet; fruit is angular; has thick peel that is green when unripe, yellow when ripe; flesh is white when ripe; gestation period is 15 to 16 months.

Lacatan

2. Lacatan grows to a height of five to nine feet; fruit is round, seedless; has thick peel that has green when unripe, yellow-orange when ripe; gestation period is 14 to 15 months.

Latundan

3. Latundan grows from six to 10 feet tall; fruit is round; has thin peel that is green when unripe, yellow when ripe; flesh is white when ripe; gestation period is 12 months.

Bungulan

4. Bungulan fruit is round, very sweet, seedless and easily rots; has thick peel that is green when unripe and remains green when ripe; flesh is white when ripe; gestation period is 12 months.

Cavendish

5. Cavendish reaches five to 10 feet high; fruit is bigger than Bungulan; peel is green when unripe, yellow when ripe; flesh is yellow when ripe; export quality; gestation period is six to eight months.

Other varieties grown in the country include the Morado, Pitogo Los Banos, Senorita, Tindok, Gloria, Granda, and Tumok.

CLIMATE AND SOIL REQUIREMENTS

Banana is well adapted to well-drained, loamy, soil that is rich in organic matter. Areas with an average rainfall of 4000 millimeters (mm) a year are ideal sites for a banana plantation. A temperature between 27 to 30 degrees Celsius is most favorable to the crop.
Banana grows at sea level up to 1,800 meters altitude. It is susceptible to root rot when exposed to too much water. Typhoon belt do not make good plantation sites.

PROPAGATION

Banana can be propagated through its rhizomes and suckers. The latter, however, is the best recommended. Suckers must be parasites-free and have healthy roots. These are spaded out of the clumps when four-to-five feet tall.

LAND PREPARATION

The fields is plowed and harrowed thrice. All stumps and bushes must be removed. Knee-deep holes with 45-cm diameters are dug and 3each hole is fertilized with 10 grams of complete fertilizer and a few of granular nematode.

PLANTING

Suckers are set on field in vertical position, then covered with surface soil. Compost material added to the soil enhances the recovery and growth of the new plants. The soil is stumped around each base and watered regularly. During dry months, irrigation, if possible, is advised.Planting is the best at the start of the rainy season.

CULTIVATION AND MAINTENANCE

Cultivation should go beyond six inches from the base of the plant to avoid root injury. Intercrops or Glamoxine or Karmex sprays act as weed control. Plants must be propped with bamboo poles during fruiting for support against strong winds.

DESUCKERING OR PRUNING

Unnecessary suckers must be killed by cutting them off the mother plants. Only one or two suckers must be allowed per hill to reduce soil nutrients competition.

FERTILIZATION

For poor soils, fertilizers should contain N-P-K at a ratio of 3-1-6. the ratio is doubled when fertilizers are applied to young plants. The amount of fertilizer applied increases as the tree matures. At flowering and fruiting period, a tree needs five to six pounds of complete fertilizer.

PEST AND DISEASES

There are at least 27 insect pests that attack banana plants in the Philippines. However, there are only three pests known to cost significant damage over all types of banana.

The banana corm weevil feeds on suckers and destroys the corm tissues. It causes the suckers to die of bore attack. To control this pest, spray the soil with Furadan 5 G, 10 G. Sanitation and cutting of affected corms are also effective cultural controls, and are environment friendly.
Fruit-peel sarring beetle damages the fruit surfaces. The banana bunch is usually sprayed with Decis to control infestation. The banana floral thrips can be easily controlled by Diazinon 40/60 EC or Decis 2.5. 100 EC spray.

The three major diseases of banana are the sigatoka, pitting or wilting and the moko.

Sigatoka is a leaf spot disease caused by Mycosphaerella musicola. This causes the premature death of leaves. In severe cases, the size of bunches and fingers is reduced. The fruit is also ripens prematurely and develops abnormal flavor and smell. Plants are usually sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. Badly spotted leaves are removed to avoid contamination.

Pitting or Wilting disease is characterized by dry, reddish-brown or black, circular or oval, depressed spots. Sanitation is one way of preventing the disease which comes in season with the rainy days. All collapsed leaves should be removed.

Moko disease, on the other hand, transmitted from plat to plant by insects and infected tools. The impact ok moko to plants is similar to that of the sigatoka. Only, it does not emit unfavorable smell. Infected fruits also blacken inside. Infection is prevented by disinfecting tools with formaldehyde.

In view of environmental considerations, alternative controls to pests and diseases are being introduced under Integrated Pest Management. Infected plants and weeds must be uprooted to keep the area free of host plats for six to 12 months.

HARVESTING

Regardless of variety, the maturity of banana can be distinguished when the last leaf turns yellow. The angle formation of the fingers also determines ripeness. The rounder the angle of the fingers, the more mature the are.

Saba is harvest 15 to 16 months after planting; Lacatan, 4 to 15 months; Latundan, 12 months; Bungulan, 12 months; Cavendish, six to eight months.

Harvesting needs two people to serve as the cutter and the backer. It involves cutting deep into the middle of the trunk and letting the top fall gradually until the bunch is at the reach if the backer. The peduncle is cut long enough to facilitate handling.

Fruits for immediate shipping are harvested 5 to 10 days before ripening. Bananas for marketing are packed in crates as tightly as possible to lessen unnecessary vibrations during transport.

Majority of the produced banana in the Philippines are shipped to Metro Manila.