Banana: High nutritive value, rich in sugar and mineral salts
The symbol of tropical countries and famous throughout the world, the fruit of the banana tree is the most popular in Brazil. Although it is not a native of the American continent (the majority of cultivated bananas originated in Asia, although there are centers of secondary origin in East Africa and the Pacific Islands), the plant adapted extremely well to soil and climate and became one of the country's main export products. The banana tree belongs to the Musaceae family and is a plant with a subterranean stem, which develops in a horizontal direction from which leaves sprout and grow out of the ground, forming a false trunk. Only once in its life does each stem put forth a branch of flowers which, little by little, turns into a bunch of bananas, formed of clusters which, in all may contain two hundred bananas. Having produced its bunch, another stalk begins to grow from the subterranean rootstock from which the next harvest will emerge. Although the banana can be found all year round, it is during the months of May and June that the best harvests are gathered. The banana is a fruit of high nutritive value, and is rich in sugar and mineral salts, principally calcium, potassium, phosphorous and iron, as well as vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. The banana has astringent properties.
