CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature

Banana Wine

Banana wine might sound odd, believe me, I was unsure of how this wine recipe

would taste too but it is definitely worth trying. Bananas are full of sugars and are one of

the sweetest fruits available to most people. This sweetness is perfect for wine making

and with just a few additions to balance the acidity you will have a very memorable, full-

bodied banana wine that will make you wonder why you even questioned this in the first

place. It turns out that bananas are great for winemaking. You will often see recipes for

other fruit wine and especially floral wines that call for the addition of bananas because

the provide sweetness, body and a subtle flavour boost to wines that would otherwise

be a little insipid. The great thing about making a banana wine is that you can do it at

any time of year.

You can buy bunches of bananas from almost any supermarket across the globe at

almost any point of the year. You aren’t constrained to a seasonal harvest like you

would be with other fruit. The other thing is that in many places bananas are one of the

cheapest fruits by weight so it makes this banana wine recipe very inexpensive to make.

(https://homebrewanswers.com/banana-wine-recipe/)
Banana

Bananas are a staple starch for many tropical populations. Depending upon

cultivar and ripeness, the flesh can vary in taste from starchy to sweet, and texture from

firm to mushy. Both the skin and inner part can be eaten raw or cooked. The primary

component of the aroma of fresh bananas is isoamyl acetate (also known as banana

oil), which, along with several other compounds such as butyl acetate and isobutyl

acetate, is a significant contributor to banana flavor. During the ripening process,

bananas produce the gas ethylene, which acts as a plant hormone and indirectly affects

the flavor. Among other things, ethylene stimulates the formation of amylase,

an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugar, influencing the taste of bananas. The

greener, less ripe bananas contain higher levels of starch and, consequently, have a

"starchier" taste. On the other hand, yellow bananas taste sweeter due to higher sugar

concentrations. Furthermore, ethylene signals the production of pectinase, an enzyme

which breaks down the pectin between the cells of the banana, causing the banana to

soften as it ripens.

Bananas are eaten deep fried, baked in their skin in a split bamboo, or steamed

in glutinous rice wrapped in a banana leaf. Bananas can be made into jam.

Banana pancakes are popular amongst backpackers and other travelers in South

Asia and Southeast Asia. This has elicited the expression Banana Pancake Trail for

those places in Asia that cater to this group of travelers. Banana chips are a snack

produced from sliced dehydrated or fried banana or plantain, which have a dark brown

color and an intense banana taste. Dried bananas are also ground to make banana

flour. Extracting juice is difficult, because when a banana is compressed, it simply turns
to pulp. Bananas feature prominently in Philippine cuisine, being part of traditional

dishes and desserts like maruya, turón, and halo-halo or saba con yelo.

Most of these dishes use the Sabaor Cardaba banana cultivar. Bananas are also

commonly used in cuisine in the South-Indian state of Kerala, where they are steamed

(puzhungiyathu), made into curries, fried into chips, (upperi) or fried in batter

(pazhampori). Pisang goreng, bananas fried with batter similar to the Filipino maruya or

Kerala pazhampori, is a popular dessert in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. A

similar dish is known in the United Kingdom and United States as banana fritters.

Plantains are used in various stews and curries or cooked, baked or mashed in much

the same way as potatoes, such as the pazham pachadi dish prepared in Kerala.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana)