Banana Blossoms

These reddish-purple, elongated, teardrop-shaped flowers may look inedible at first, but once you peel back the pliable, plastic-like petals, it all makes sense. One flower grows during the life of the banana plant (not botanically a tree), and it is solely for reproduction. Under each petal grows a hand of miniature banana flowers. As it grows forward and down, each of these forms one hand of bananas, like the ones you’re familiar with buying in the market. This continues, and the plant produces tens of pounds of bananas along a single stalk. Vietnamese: hoa chuối