Saba banana
Encyclopedia
Saba banana, also known as Cardaba banana, is a triploid hybrid 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.
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 28 kg 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 balbasiana, 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 long and 2.5 to 5.5 cm 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.
and Musa acuminata
.
Its official designation is Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla (ABB Group) cv. 'Saba'.
Synonyms
include: Musa sapientum L. var. compressa (Blanco) N.G.Teodoro
Saba is known in English
as Saba, Cardaba, Sweet plantain, Compact banana, and Papaya banana. Saba is also known by other common name
s like the following:
Malaysian
: Pisang Nepah
Indonesian
: Pisang Kepok
Thai
: Kluai Hin
Hawaiian
: Opu-’ulu, Dippig
Wild triploid Musa balbisiana
bananas (Musa balbisiana Colla (BBB Group) cv. 'Cardaba') are also called 'Cardaba' in the Philippines.
es. They can be eaten raw or cooked into various traditional Filipino desserts and dishes like Maruya, Turrón
, Halo-halo
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.
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
originating from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It is primarily a cooking banana
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
though it can also be eaten raw. It is one of the most important banana varieties in Philippine cuisine.
Description
Saba bananas have very large, robust pseudostems that can reach heights of 20–30 feet (6–9 m). The trunk can reach diameters of 3 feet. 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 28 kg 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 balbasiana, 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 long and 2.5 to 5.5 cm 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.
Taxonomy and nomenclature
The Saba Banana is a triploid (ABB) hybrid of the seeded banana Musa balbisianaMusa balbisiana
Musa balbisiana is a species of wild banana native to South Asia. It is one of the ancestors of modern cultivated bananas along with Musa acuminata. It grows lush leaves in clumps and grows with a more upright habit than most cultivated bananas. Flowers grow in inflorescences coloured red to...
and Musa acuminata
Musa acuminata
Musa acuminata is a species of wild banana native to Southeast Asia. It is the progenitor of modern edible bananas, along with Musa balbisiana. First cultivated by humans around 8000 years ago, it is one of the earliest examples of domesticated plants.-Taxonomy and nomenclature:Musa acuminata...
.
Its official designation is Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla (ABB Group) cv. 'Saba'.
Synonyms
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
include:
Saba is known in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as Saba, Cardaba, Sweet plantain, Compact banana, and Papaya banana. Saba is also known by other common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s like the following:
- JavaneseJavanese languageJavanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
(BaliBaliBali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
):
Malaysian language
Malaysian or Standard Malay is the official language of Malaysia and a standardized form of the Malay language of the Austronesian family. It is over 80% cognate with Indonesian and is spoken natively by over 10 million people...
:
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
:
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
:
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
:
Wild triploid Musa balbisiana
Musa balbisiana
Musa balbisiana is a species of wild banana native to South Asia. It is one of the ancestors of modern cultivated bananas along with Musa acuminata. It grows lush leaves in clumps and grows with a more upright habit than most cultivated bananas. Flowers grow in inflorescences coloured red to...
bananas (Musa balbisiana Colla (BBB Group) cv. 'Cardaba') are also called 'Cardaba' in the Philippines.
Uses
Saba bananas are one of the most important bananas in the Philippines. The fruits provide the same nutritional value as potatoPotato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es. They can be eaten raw or cooked into various traditional Filipino desserts and dishes like Maruya, Turrón
Turrón (Filipino cuisine)
Turon , also known as Banana Lumpia, is a Philippine snack made of thinly sliced bananas and a slice of jackfruit, dusted with brown sugar, rolled in spring roll wrapper and fried...
, Halo-halo
Halo-halo
Halo-halo is a popular Filipino dessert that is a mixture of shaved ice and evaporated milk to which are added various boiled sweet beans and fruits, and served in a tall glass or bowl....
and Ginanggang
Ginanggang
Ginanggang, guinanggang, or ginang-gang is a snack food of grilled skewered bananas brushed with margarine and sprinkled with sugar. It originates from the island of Mindanao in the Philippines....
. It is also popular in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia, and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in dishes like Pisang Aroma (similar to the Filipino Turrón) and Pisang goreng
Pisang goreng
Pisang goreng is a snack food mostly found throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. In Singapore and some parts of Malaysia it is known as "goreng pisang" . It is consumed as a snack in the morning and afternoon...
(fried bananas).
Saba is also processed into a Filipino condiment known as Banana ketchup
Banana ketchup
Banana ketchup or banana sauce is a popular Philippine condiment made from mashed banana, sugar, vinegar, and spices. Its natural color is brownish, so it is often dyed red to resemble tomato ketchup. Banana ketchup was made when there was a shortage of tomato ketchup during World War II, due to...
, invented by the Filipino food technologist and war heroine Maria Y. Orosa (1893–1945). The dark red inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
of Saba (banana hearts, locally known in the Philippines as "Puso ng Saba") are edible. The waxy, green leaves
Banana leaf
Banana leaf is the leaf of the Banana plant. It is used for various functions, such as for decorative elements, wrappings, plate mat, and employed in cooking method....
are also used as traditional wrappings of native dishes in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. 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.
Common pests
- Fruit scarring beetles
- Banana thrips
- Mealy bug
- Banana aphids
- Corm weevil
- Borers
- Root Nematodes
- Grasshoppers
Common diseases
- Panama disease/Fusarium Wilt
- Sigatoka
- Moko or Bacterial Wilt
- Black leaf streak
- Banana Bunchy Top disease
See also
- BananaBananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
- Banana Cultivar GroupsBanana cultivar groupsAlmost all modern edible banana and plantain cultivars are hybrids and polyploids of the wild, seeded bananas Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. They are almost always seedless and hence sterile, so they are propagated vegetatively...
- Banana ketchupBanana ketchupBanana ketchup or banana sauce is a popular Philippine condiment made from mashed banana, sugar, vinegar, and spices. Its natural color is brownish, so it is often dyed red to resemble tomato ketchup. Banana ketchup was made when there was a shortage of tomato ketchup during World War II, due to...
- Musa balbisianaMusa balbisianaMusa balbisiana is a species of wild banana native to South Asia. It is one of the ancestors of modern cultivated bananas along with Musa acuminata. It grows lush leaves in clumps and grows with a more upright habit than most cultivated bananas. Flowers grow in inflorescences coloured red to...
- Musa acuminataMusa acuminataMusa acuminata is a species of wild banana native to Southeast Asia. It is the progenitor of modern edible bananas, along with Musa balbisiana. First cultivated by humans around 8000 years ago, it is one of the earliest examples of domesticated plants.-Taxonomy and nomenclature:Musa acuminata...
- PlantainPlantainPlantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...