Chuoi

Chuoi is a Vietnamese word for banana. Bananas are not only a delicious fruit when ripe, but green bananas are also part of some dishes in Vietnam. Banana flower is mixed in delicious salads. Banana tree trunks, when young, can be eaten as a vegetable, and banana tree roots can be cooked with fish, or mixed in salads.

Several banana varieties grow all over Vietnam, among them are: (1) Tieu bananas are the most popular kind. They are small and smell sweet when ripe; (2) Ngu and Cau bananas are small with a thin peel; (3) Tay bananas are short, big, and straight, and can be fried or cooked in meals; and (4) Tra Bot bananas are widely planted in the south; their peel is yellow or brown when ripe with a white pulp. When Tra Bot bananas are not ripe, they taste sour. In the Southeast, there are a lot of Bom bananas. They look like Cau bananas, but their peel is thicker and their pulp is not as sweet. Bananas offer various mineral substances and energy.