Julian

Is this Saba

DoctorSteve

Looks like it to me, though I don't know where you are located so it is hard to say. In my area any banana that looks like that has been a saba.

sunfish

Julian

Thank you. In Hawaii. The Filipino lady said called it plantain. Mahalo

DoctorSteve

Ah you are in Hawaii. Well then that kinda opens the possibility to almost anything doesn't it. Maybe Gabe will chime in, he is in Hawaii as well and is more knowledgeable than I am.

Yug

Looks like a Saba to me. I've heard of Hua Moa and sometimes the Popoulu being called plantains, but never a Saba. An ordinary plaintain generally looks like a typical banana, just longer / thicker.

Julian

Thank you.

robguz24

It seems every time I ask what a banana type is at a farmers market, I get the response "cooking banana" or "plantain" if it is not obviously a Hawaiian Apple. I've only ever been to a few vendors who specialize in bananas and actually know the variety. Most vendors have little or no relation to any of the produce they sell, particularly at our Hilo farmers market.

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My micro-farm

Stay on my Big Island banana farm cottage

Julian

That's how I felt at that open market. It was on Kaua'i a few weeks ago. There was a shorter fatter banana right next to these so I asked what was that, and the gal said that it's a plantain also, but not as sweet. I should have taken a pix. A few stands down they were selling bananas labeled as ice cream, but swear they looked exactly like these that I bought that seems to be saba. The saba that i bought was half the price of the supposed Ice cream. Does ripened saba and ice cream look that much a like?

venturabananas

I noticed the same thing when visiting farmers markets around Hawaii this year. Most of the sellers weren't the growers and so they only knew if a banana was a cooking banana or not.

Looks like Saba or Cardaba to me. Especially if the peel was really thick.

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