Burro bananas are a type of banana that resembles the Cavendish variety, although they are shorter and square. Burro bananas also have dark green peels that become deep yellow with black spots when they are ripe. These bananas also have white or yellow flesh with a lemony flavor when ripe, plus they are slightly firmer toward the center. Additionally, burro bananas are tart when immature and have an average size of 6 inches long. Burro bananas have tiny-edible seeds arranged down the center of the fruit and are available year-round from Mexico.
The good thing about burro bananas is that they are healthy. These types of bananas are seeded and have distinct edges. The young unripe flesh has a chalky potato-like texture, which turns soft and creamy as it ripens. Burro bananas are popularly sold under the name “chunky banana” – usually about its stubby, square, or block-like shape compared to a regular Cavendish banana. However, burro bananas are believed to have originated from Southeast Asia but were later dispersed throughout the world. Currently, these types of bananas are also grown in Central America and Mexico.
Most people ask whether burro bananas are healthy. Yes, these bananas are pretty healthy and are naturally alkaline in nature. They also contain tiny seeds and include plenty of nutritional benefits, which we’ll get to talk about later on in this post. Crucial factors you need to know is that they are healthy with low fat, low carbohydrates, and calorie count than other regular bananas. Burro bananas also contain minerals such as magnesium and potassium. Burro bananas also contain various amounts of vitamin B, C, and fiber.
Types/Varieties of Burro Bananas
There are several types of burro bananas out there. However, they are almost similar to each other and seem to have the same taste. Since burro bananas are available all year round, their varieties are also easy to find and popular.
1. Platano Burro
Also known as donkey bananas in English, platano is a Spanish name. If you’ve never seen a donkey eating a banana, then you need to know that they do. These bananas are mostly given to donkeys, and they seem to be a delicacy that the animals enjoy eating. The bananas are used to add a variety of diets to donkeys, which helps to encourage a healthy appetite. That’s because donkeys are also prone to obesity, which is similar to the way humans are. Therefore, most donkey owners have discovered this factor and feed the animals with low-calorie treat options such as the platano burro.
Bananas are considered among the best delicious treats for donkeys, although this is still a mystery to most people. The fact is that bananas are safe for donkeys to eat because they are easy to digest and have high nutritional value. In fact, donkeys love bananas to the point that they even ask for more when you’re feeding them. If you didn’t know, bananas are adored by donkeys due to their sweet flavor and mushy texture. Another thing is that donkeys can also eat the platano burro banana peels because they are also soft and easy to digest. But ensure that the banana peels are appropriately washed before feeding them to your donkey for hygiene and safety purposes.
2. Burro Plantain
If you’ve ever eaten plantain from regular bananas, then you should also try burro plantain. Plantain from this unique variety of bananas will have you licking, wanting more of it. Making burro plantain is easy. It only requires 20 minutes to prepare and cook. This is what it means when we’re talking about platano burro verde, as it is Spanish. Check out below how to prepare this delicacy.
Ingredients:
- Eight individual burro bananas
- 2 cups of vegetable oil
- One teaspoon of salt
- Half teaspoon of garlic powder
- Half teaspoon of cinnamon
Instructions:
- Take the burro bananas and wash them outside thoroughly and ensure that they are not attached to each other. Cut off the ends and make two slices in the plantain from top to bottom, around ½ an inch apart. You can use your finger to push underneath the cut peel strip and pull it away. Use the opening to move your finger under the peel and haul it away. Do that for the eight bananas to ensure they are all peeled.
- Cut the bananas in half and set them aside. Use a large frying pan to heat the oil until it reaches 3400F. Add the slices of the bananas you cut and ensure that they fit in the frying pan. Make sure the bananas have enough space and cook them for approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Turn them over halfway through while cooking, or until you see they are golden brown.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked plantains and place them on different plates appropriately lined with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and garlic powder over one plate and cinnamon and sugar over another plate. You also have the option of adding more salt if you want the plantains to be salty.
- Once you’re done, serve and enjoy the meal.
Can You Eat Burro Bananas Raw?
Yes, you can eat burro bananas raw after peeling the skin just like you would do with regular bananas. Burro bananas can also be sautéed, baked into desserts, made into fries, used in puddings, smoothies, or pies. These bananas are healthy and rich in minerals, which makes them a good source of food. First, however, you have to ensure that the burro bananas are well ripe to avoid having health issues by eating raw unripe burro bananas. To know if they are ripe, all you have to do is check if they have a deep yellow color with black spots. That is one indication that the burro bananas are ripe and ready to be eaten raw.
Burro Banana vs Regular Banana
There are plenty of differences between burro bananas and regular bananas. This is because burro bananas are another unique variety of bananas that most people don’t know about. The first difference is appearance. These two types of bananas tend to differ in appearance, such as size. Burro bananas are shorter and stubbier, while regular bananas are longer. Another way that burro bananas differ from regular bananas is in shape. Burro bananas are shorter and square, but regular bananas are more elongated with tapering tips. Other notable features that differentiate these two types of bananas are that burro bananas have prominent ridges at the edges, but regular bananas don’t have any prominent edges. In addition, Burro bananas have an average length of six inches, while regular bananas have an average length of 8 inches or more. When it comes to color, these two types of bananas also significantly differ. Burro bananas are dark green when young and deep yellow with black spots when ripe. On the other hand, regular bananas are bright yellow when young and bright yellow without ripe spots.
Burro bananas have white flesh when young and creamy white to yellow when ripe, while regular bananas have white flesh when young to creamy white when ripe. The flavor is another area where these two types of bananas also differ. Burro bananas have a tart, more robust flavor when young, to a lemony flavor when ripe. Regular bananas have a slightly bland taste when young to sweet buttery flavor when ripe. These two types of bananas don’t differ in eating; you can eat both of them raw or even cook them.
The last two features where burro and regular bananas differ include seeds and seasonality. Burro bananas have tiny, black, or slightly brown seeds toward the central core. Regular bananas don’t have any seeds. When it comes to seasonality, both burro bananas and regular bananas are available all year round in the USA and Mexico. Therefore, this means there isn’t a time you would lack these two types of bananas in the market, in case you’re interested in buying them.
Burro Banana Nutrition vs Regular Banana
So, how special are burro bananas? They offer the best nutritional benefits compared to regular Cavendish bananas. There are two ways to eat both burro and regular bananas, and these include eating them raw or cooked. Ripe burro bananas are low in starch, and this makes them ideal to use instead of potatoes. Burro bananas are also low in fat and calories, which makes them suitable for your health. Unlike regular bananas, burro bananas are rich in potassium, iron, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, and zinc. Burro bananas also contain plenty of fiber which is ideal for your gut health.
Burro bananas have 110 grams of calories, while regular bananas have 121 grams of calories. Another beneficial factor of burro bananas is that they don’t have any fat, but regular bananas have 0.45 grams of fat. Burro bananas also contain 29 grams of carbohydrates, while regular bananas contain 31.06 grams of carbohydrates. When it comes to fiber, burro bananas contain 4 grams of fiber, while regular bananas contain 2.6 grams of fiber. This is why burro bananas are referred to as the best source of fiber. Burro bananas also contain 21 grams of glucose, while regular bananas contain 12.2 grams of glucose. Burro bananas have 25 grams of net carbs, while regular bananas contain 29.8 grams of net carbs. Finally, one burro banana includes 1 gram of protein, while one regular banana contains 1.48 grams.
It’s also essential to note that young burro bananas are highly rich in starch than regular bananas, although this starch is beneficial to the human body. This starch found in burro bananas is known as resistant starch and is believed to benefit the gut.
Burro Banana vs Plantain
The main difference between burro banana and plantain is how you use them in the kitchen. Plantain is a cooked banana. You can also cook burro bananas into plantain as they are often cooked in desserts and baked goods such as muffins and pies. You can also eat raw bananas as part of a fruit salad, porridge topping, or dessert. You can also dip burro bananas in chocolate or spread on toast with nut butter. Therefore, these two types of bananas are not too different. Their difference arises from how you decide to use them – either eating raw or cooking.
Plantains are common in Latin America, African cuisines, and the Caribbean. Plantains also tend to be starchy and tough when raw, with a thicker skin than raw regular or burro bananas. Plantains are also similar to a vegetable than fruit, such as in culinary applications. Since plantains have less sugar than raw bananas, they are often used as a savory side dish or part of an entrée. You can eat plantains at every stage of the ripening process, although you need a knife for peeling.
You can slice green and yellow plantains, fry them and eat as fritter called tostones, a popular dish in Latin America and Caribbean cuisine. However, if you cut the plantains too thinly before frying, you can eat them like chips. There is also another typical dish that comes from these regions called maduros. This is whereby you fry ripe, dark plantains or bake them in oil until the outside caramelizes. The significant difference between burro bananas and plantains is the flavor and method of preparation. Bananas are primarily famous in North American cuisines, but plantains are common in African dishes, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
Burro Banana Benefits
Burro bananas come with plenty of benefits that are beneficial for your overall health. In this section, we’ll go over all of these benefits to understand what you’re getting when eating these unique types of bananas. Burro bananas are pretty healthy with low fat, low carbohydrates, and low calories. They also contain significant amounts of vitamin B and C and fiber.
Below are some of the other burro bananas health benefits of burro banana.
- It helps fight kidney diseases – Research shows that burro peanuts can significantly reduce risks associated with kidney disease. The potassium contained in the fruit helps to alleviate any strain on your kidneys and encourages urination. Therefore, this assists in preventing toxins from accumulating in the kidneys.
- Burro banana prevents constipation – Since burro bananas contain high amounts of dietary fiber, they help smoothen bowel movements. Burro bananas are also believed to help push stubborn stools and alleviate constipation. They inhibit acid secretion, and since they have organic chemicals, it helps to stimulate the cell activities in the stomach to build a protective barrier against acids.
- Burro banana offers cardiovascular protection – These fruits are rich in potassium, which helps decrease blood pressure by relaxing the tension in your arteries and veins, which also oxygenates the various organs in the body. This eventually assists in removing stress in the cardiovascular system.
- Aid in menstrual health – Surprisingly, burro bananas also aid in menstrual health. They provide relief from the excessive and painful bleeding during the menstrual cycle and other menstrual disorders.
- Improves bone health – Believe it or not but burro bananas are quite beneficial for your bone health.
- Treating gout and arthritis – These bananas contain anti-inflammatory compounds, which help to lessen inflammation, irritation, and swelling that may result from conditions such as gout and arthritis.
- Treating anemia – The high iron content in burro bananas helps treat anemia since iron is an indispensable portion of the red blood cells. Therefore, the low blood cells count in the body is usually due to a lack of iron, and this causes anemia. Thus, eating burro bananas can help to tackle this issue.
- It promotes eye health – Burro bananas contain antioxidant chemicals with a mix of essential minerals, which help to boost eye health. Research shows that regular intake of burro bananas can help to decrease macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, and night blindness.
Burro Banana Recipe
There are several burro banana recipes that we are going to provide in this section. This is to help you know various ways you can cook these bananas. Check them out below.
1. Alkaline-Fried Ripe Burro Bananas
Preparing this delicacy doesn’t take long, and it’s one way you can try to eat your burro bananas.
Ingredients:
- Ripe burro bananas
- Grape seed oil
Instructions:
- Take your burro bananas, peel and slice them properly. The next step is to coat pan them lightly and individually in a pan over medium heat.
- Cook them until you see that they brown on both sides.
- Remove them once they are cooked.
- Serve immediately.
2. Burro Banana Salad
This is another one of the best recipes of burro banana to consider. It is easy to prepare and doesn’t take a lot of time.
Ingredients:
- Two and a half pounds of green burro bananas, well peeled and cut into slices.
- Half tablespoon of salt.
- 1 cup of mayonnaise or vegan mayo
- ¼ teaspoon of paprika
- ¼ teaspoon of white pepper
- 1/8 cup of brown sugar
- One tablespoon of yellow mustard
- ½ tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup of diced red onion
Instructions:
- You need at least 4 to 6 burro bananas that are chunkier and square, with a tart and tangy flavor. Slice vertically along the ridges to peel the green burro bananas.
- Cut the burro bananas into slices or quarters and put them in a bowl.
- Fill a pot with water and boil.
- Add the half tablespoon of salt and cook the bananas until they are fork-tender.
- Mix the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, paprika, and mustard in a large bowl.
- Gently and carefully mix in the dressing until you ensure it coats the bananas properly.
- Stir in the onions and add pepper.
- Garnish with paprika.
- Cover the salad and refrigerate for about 4 hours.
- Keep the salad refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week.
3. Alkaline Electric Burro Banana Smoothie Recipe
An alkaline diet replaces acid-forming foods to improve your health. The alkaline diet is healthy and encourages people to eat and drink plenty of vegetables, foods, and fruits – and avoid consuming junk foods.
This alkaline electric burro banana smoothie can be enjoyed any time and offers a lot of health benefits.
Ingredients:
- 5 Burro bananas
- 250 ml of spring water
- A bit of turmeric
- A handful of pumpkin seeds
- One tablespoon of baobab powder
- Handful of mangoes
Instructions:
- Add baobab powder, mangoes, turmeric, burro bananas, lemon peels, and pumpkin seeds into a blending cup.
- Add the 250 ml of spring water to the blending cup.
- Begin to blend by starting on a low speed and slowly increase to full speed. This helps to mix the ingredients properly.
- Once you blend the mixture, pour the smoothie into a glass and enjoy it.
Where to Buy Burro Bananas
Where can I buy burro bananas near me?
The best way to find burro bananas near you is to look for them in local grocery stores. As we’ve described in this post, it will be easy to find them in your local store, but you can always ask the vendors if they have them.
Where Can I Find Burro Bananas?
Aside from your local store, you can also buy burro bananas online from reliable and trustworthy eCommerce stores. Some reliable online sources to purchase burro bananas include:
- Miami Fruits
- Fruits N’ Rootz
- Specialty Produce
- Jungle Jims
Where to Buy Burro Bananas in the Market
Other places where you can source burro bananas are in Caribbean stores, Mexican markets, Latin stores, whole foods, international stores such as H Mart and Grand Mart, and Asian Stores. You can also check in your local supermarket in the grocery section.
Conclusion
Burro bananas are not only unique but also have a lot of health benefits to offer. This is why they are considered the best fruits you can eat, aside from the regular bananas. As you’ve seen in this post, these types of bananas are worth buying and eating – regularly and as often as possible. However, ensure you buy from a reliable dealer/supplier that sells high-quality and natural burro bananas to benefit from all the minerals and vitamins they contain. If you want to stay healthy, burro bananas are the way to go.