Maqueños (aka Red Bananas)


Living in Ecuador, one cannot help but be curious about bananas. 

Did you know that bananas do not actually grow on trees? They look like a lot like trees, but in reality, bananas grow on an giant herb plant, related to orchids and lilies, with thick stems formed from layers of leaves that are bundled together to form a trunk-like structure. We call them banana trees, even in Ecuador, but this is a definite misnomer.

Did you know that each banana plant generates only one bunch of bananas before it is cut down to harvest the fruit? Granted, those bunches are much larger than the typical bunch we buy at the grocery store --150 to 200 bananas in double row clusters of 10-20 bananas in each -- huge bunches. These bunches weigh an average of 35 to 50 kg (that is 70 to 100+ pounds!)

Did you know that every banana plant generates what they call in Ecuador an "hijo"-- a child plant-- so that when the banana plant is cut down to harvest the bananas, the hijo is already there at the foot of its parent getting ready to grow. That hijo will ultimately grow the next banana bunch. 

Bananas are ubiquitous in the coastal lowlands where we live. Ecuador, the largest banana exporter in the world, exports close to 30% of the world's bananas, most of those are the Cavendish banana, the prototypical banana you and I buy at Costco. But Ecuador boasts 300 additional varieties. With countless names. And just as many ways to consume them!

Dillon loves to harvest bananas with his machete and hang a large bunch behind our house to ripen; then we all get to enjoy them fresh off the bunch. Most commonly, he harvests oritos, tiny little golden bananas, which are finger-length, the perfect size for snacking. Oritos are super popular in our region. This week, however, he was able to harvest with Lucia his very favorite variety -- a less common type locally called maqueños, or the red dacca. 

The maqueño is a thick, red-skinned banana, which has a different texture than the Cavendish. The maqueno tree is particularly tall, and per locals, takes a lot longer than a standard banana to both grow and ripen. Dillon says he loves maqueños because they are just the right size, they have the perfect amount of sweetness, they are not seedy at all, and they just look cool. Also because it is just so much different than a typical banana. 

Below, check out pictures of the maqueño harvest this week. We are blessed to be living in this productive place. 

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