The banana has its culinary guide: School of Chefs and AEBE present an unprecedented recipe book with techniques and preparations of salt and sweet

The banana It is a fruit that we consume daily in its most basic form: removing the shell and eating its pulp in breakfasts, or as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. But in his different levels of maturation, the banana admits a variety of creative preparations that will surprise more than one, thus taking advantage of its nutritional content and especially extolling its national value, since this food is one of the Ecuador’s main export productsafter oil.

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With this idea in mind, the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE) and the Chefs School (Higher Technological Institute) have prepared the Banana Culinary Guidea technical and informative compendium to transmit its importance as well as the multiple applications of this fruit in the kitchen, which are not fully known within the country and much less abroad, where they are equally coveted.

“When it goes abroad, the banana has to come out in one color and in a perfect measure”, illustrates chef Daniel Valverde, from the School of Chefs and one of the researchers behind this publication. “The idea is value the banana in its other degrees of maturation, such as green and overripe, suitable for consumption. For these reasons, a guide was created that collects this information and also teaches consumers how to master this product or make it more versatile”.

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This guide will be presented abroad, precisely to promote the quality of Ecuadorian bananas and their competitive advantages. This is the core of the campaign Banana Roadshow 2022 What will this book lead to? France (today Friday September 30) and Spain (Friday, October 7) as its main European showcases.

However, the text can be accessed from the EABE website (click on this link). The idea is that the guide will soon also land in bookstores, although for now it can be found at the School of chefs, says Valverde.

The banana, green or sweet, can be used in soups, purees or delicious desserts

This special publication has been structured into four chapters, beginning with an introduction to the banana and its journey from the field to the tables and kitchens around the world. The most extensive section, as is to be expected, is the one dedicated to the culinary techniques of bananas, which are addressed from the textures, flavors and aromas of this food, and the innovative applications of this product.

The recipe book not only addresses preparations of salt (such as pasta, casseroles) and sweet (cakes), but also the art of baking with bananas and the “creative side of bananas”, which includes oil, fermented products, wines, vinegars and more. with the banana

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“It is a variety of both classic and modern applications. When we say classic, for example, it refers to putting the green banana in the oven or frying it in the pan, just like the plantain”, clarifies the chef, explaining that although the tradition of eating green bananas is very old, it has currently been in disuse.

“In many parts of the countryside there are people who really continue to eat green bananas. And on the creative side, we use overripe bananas a lot to make 100% use of the product and thus contribute to the environment by not wasting it.”

What makes the Ecuadorian banana so special? “The way it is produced, in the plantations there are very specific processes, the weather and soil conditions give it a unique flavor. Abroad, sometimes there are much more industrialized products, our bananas really are a much more natural product with a special flavor, which makes the foreign and local public fall in love with it,” the expert points out.

To try: Banana and shrimp cocktail

Recipe taken from the AEBE Culinary Guide and the School of Chefs, for 4 people. Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• Shrimp 1 pound
• Lemon 1 u
• Salt/pepper to taste
• Banana oil 20 ml
• cut green banana medium says (medium squares), cooked 1 cup
• pearl onion in brunoise (small squares) 2 tablespoons
• Cucumber medium says ¼ cup
• peeled celery medium says 2 tablespoons
• Tomatoes married (finely chopped without skin and seeds, previously blanched) ½ cup
• Orange zest ½ unit
• Finely chopped chives 1 tablespoon
• fresh almond ½ cup
• Almond milk ¼ cup
• Lettuce mix to decorate
• Salt/pepper to taste

Preparation:

Sauce: Boil the almonds until they hydrate their skin and peel them, process them with the almond milk, toasted peanuts and banana oil until obtaining a creamy consistency; season to taste.

Filling: Cut the vegetables according to the specifications, cook the banana and leave to cool.

Cook the shrimp in boiling water for 3 minutes and then move to an inverted water bath. Finally, mix the ingredients, season with lemon juice, zest and decorate with sprouts and chives.