It’s great that the weather in California is warm enough for the banana plant to thrive.
I was very pleased when I noticed that the banana tree in the backyard was bearing fruits. We did have banana trees in my childhood home in Asia, but I never really bothered to see how the fruit grew.
So this time around, it was very interesting to watch the process. The cone-shaped piece at the bottom of the bunch of bananas is actually a delicacy in Malay cooking. It is know as jantung pisang, literally means the heart of the banana. It is usually cooked in a coconut milk based curry/gravy.
The ripened fruit has a firmer texture and a creamier flavor than the store-bought ones.