Do Pink Bananas Actually Exist?

If someone came up to you and asked you what color a banana is, chances are you don't have to be a rocket scientist to answer that question. A banana is obviously yellow — or, alternatively, you could say a banana can be yellow, green, or brown, depending on how ripe they are. Those are probably the only three colors you could say since, after all, you've likely never seen nor ever heard of a banana being anything but those select colors. So if this is true, then surely a pink-colored banana doesn't exist, right?

It would seem that, contrary to what you were taught in elementary school, pink bananas do exist. Known as Musa velutina, according to the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, this rare type of fruit grows in and around the northeastern Indian state of Assam and the eastern Himalayan region.  An ornamental-type of plant, the Musa velutina grows during late summer, blooming cream-colored flowers with pink bracts that change into the titular "pink bananas." Plant Care Today says that, were you to grow the Musa velutina, these types of plants are relatively low-maintenance and should be grown in moist, humus soil that is between neutral or slightly acidic levels of pH. 

But can these fruits be eaten, or are they just nothing more than a pretty shade of pink?

For those who'd love to try a pink banana, there's good news and there's bad news. The good news, according to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, is that pink bananas are edible. They are described by Fine Dining Lovers as being sweet and soft with a slight tanginess, though the interior is noted as being a plain white color, similar to a normal banana. The bad news is that, while edible, they're incredibly seedy, more so than your average supermarket-bought banana. Andy Pulte, director of Plant Sciences at the University of Tennessee, described it as "biting into a banana filled with BBs," per YouTube.

Pink bananas aren't the only unique banana out there. The "Blue Java Banana," a blueish-green banana that originates from Southeast Asia (per USA Today), is described as having an incredibly creamy consistency and a sweet, somewhat tart taste with hints of apple and vanilla. It is for this consistency that they are known by the rather attractive name of "ice cream bananas."

While you may not find a blue or pink banana at your local grocer, it never hurts to pick up a few good old yellow bananas, just for some of that potassium.