April 2025.
‘Ele‘ele, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i.

On one of our trips to a grocery store in Kaua‘i, we browsed the produce aisle and saw these short green bananas—there they were, stacked at Big Save Market in ‘Ele‘ele. Just five miles from our rental in Kālaheo, this local grocery became our go-to stop, and one morning we spotted a sign that read “Banana Apple / Thai.” Small, green, and dense, they were unlike the Cavendish we’re used to—sweeter, with a faint apple-like tang. But we had to be patient to find that out.

These short, dense, and sweet fruits are a variety called Manzano (Musa manzano). Native to Southeast Asia but well-established in Hawai‘i, they are a staple in Thai cooking and a favorite in local islands produce sections. We’d never tasted one before Kaua‘i—and now we’re wondering why they aren’t everywhere.

Our first experience came when we bought a bunch of totally green bananas. As I picked a bunch, another shopper commented, “Be sure to let them ripen a couple of days.” I took him literally; we waited a couple of days and then peeled one. It was green, woody, had a bad taste, and was hard to chew. It wasn’t at all like a green Cavendish banana. We let the rest of the bunch sit for a few more days, and they began to turn yellow. Once they were a solid yellow, we tried again. That’s when the real flavor came through. Sweet, and that faint apple note appeared. Turns out the advice should have been, “wait for the yellow,” not “wait a couple of days.” Lesson learned: wait for the yellow, and the reward is a rich tropical sweetness with a tart, crisp finish that reminds me of a Granny Smith apple.

About the photo: I captured the produce with my Samsung S23 Ultra, exported the image to Adobe Lightroom Classic for minor adjustments, then off to Luminar Neo for final tweaks. To view the photo in 2K HD or check its metadata, click the image above to view it on my Flickr site.

John Steiner.