Tag: Banana family

Interestingly, over 85% of the world's banana-family crops are actually plantains, a starchy tropical fruit that belongs to the Musaceae family. A common point of confusion, the question of which group is plantain is easily clarified through botany.

Did you know that over 85% of the world's banana-family crops are actually plantains? The question of whether a plantain is a fruit or vegetable is a classic culinary conundrum that depends entirely on your perspective—be it from a botanist's or a chef's point of view.

Did you know that bananas are botanically classified as berries? This fact is just one of many surprises about this popular fruit, which has some fascinating relatives. Understanding what other fruits are related to bananas requires a trip through their plant family tree, which contains some familiar names and some unexpected ones.

According to botanists, the common banana we eat is actually a type of berry. When asking, "what is the same fruit as a banana," the most common and accurate answer is the plantain, a starchy member of the same genus, Musa. While they look very similar, their differences in taste, texture, and culinary use are quite distinct.