ensete or (Ensete ventricosum), called the false banana, is an important food crop principally in the southern highlands of ethiopia. It has no fruit, but resembles the banana in having an underground corm, a bundle of leaf sheaths that form a pseudostem, and large lanceolate leaves. Unlike the banana, it does not propagate itself, but relies on human intervention subsequent to harvesting. In some cases it is intensively cultivated and a major staple, in others it is a ‘co-staple’ with cereals and tubers, and in yet a third it is a supplement to either cereals or tubers. The modes of consumption will often depend on its place within these categories. Where it is a staple, the corm and the leaf sheaths are pulverized or squeezed to obtain a starchy mass which is then fermented (a lactic-acid fermentation) for about two weeks. This food is called kocho. It can then be baked as an unleavened bread (wesa or boora) or eaten as a porridge. Where the plant is less intensively cultivated, it is more likely that the corms will be harvested and consumed more or less at once. They are steam-boiled. Their taste is neutral (like white bread, was one comment). Ensete has a long growth cycle, it can be harvested at any time of year, it is drought-resistant, and high in calories, if not in fat. Those who treat it as a staple (most importantly the Gurage, Sidamo, and Malo people) can live at greater density than other regions of Ethiopia.
