Testing the Tiny: Baby Bananas

For my next newspaper column (Cute Fruit), we'll try three toy versions of familiar fruits. In the final post of the series, let's talk about mini bananas.

As illustrated at left, it's easy to feel or look like a gorilla when clutching these diminutive fruits. But don't be fooled by my powerful hands--it's just a small banana.

Perhaps because bananas are so familiar a fruit, it's odd to see one so little. More so than with baby pineapples or Munchkin grapes. But once you get past cooing at these babies, you realize there are certain advantages to the size (about half as big as a regular Cavendish banana). They're perfect for kids. Ditto for adults who enjoy a banana but fear that they're getting a tad big (see picture).

Mini bananas have a more distinct taste than other minute fruit. They're sweeter than the Cavendish. with a more delicate texture. Those factors may have something to do with the baby banana moniker. Then again, Dole’s web site writes that “Baby Bananas...received their name because resemble the hands of small children--plump and short.” Mmm, pass the kids' fingers.