Not Just One Banana: A Guide to the Varieties on the Shelf

"Banana" undersells what's actually on offer in a South Indian fruit basket. A Chennai shop typically stocks several distinct varieties side by side — nendram, rasthali, yelakki, karpuram among them — and they aren't interchangeable. Some are meant for eating out of hand, some for frying, and some are reserved almost entirely for festive trays and temple offerings.

Nendram: the cooking banana

Nendram is a large, firm banana that's rarely eaten raw — its starchy texture and lower sweetness when unripe make it the standard choice for banana chips and for the deep-fried banana fritters (pazham bajji) sold at tea stalls across Tamil Nadu. Sliced thin and fried, the starchiness turns into a satisfying crunch that a softer, sweeter banana simply can't replicate. A fully ripened nendram, on the other hand, turns soft and quite sweet, and is sometimes used in halwa or steamed as a simple dessert.

Rasthali: soft, sweet, and a favourite for prasadam

Rasthali is a medium-sized banana with pale yellow skin and a distinctively soft, custardy texture once ripe. It's a common choice for temple offerings and festive occasions specifically because of that texture and sweetness — it's meant to be eaten fresh rather than cooked. If a banana on the tray at a family function tastes noticeably softer and sweeter than the everyday variety, there's a good chance it's rasthali.

Yelakki: small, thin-skinned, and eaten quickly

Yelakki bananas — sometimes called elaichi banana in other parts of India — are noticeably smaller than the other varieties, with thin skin and a mildly aromatic flavour. Because they're smaller, they're a common choice for children's lunchboxes or as a quick snack, and their thinner skin means they ripen and spoil somewhat faster than a sturdier variety like nendram, so they're best bought in quantities you'll actually get through within a few days.

Karpuram: a lesser-known, fragrant variety

Karpuram banana is a less commonly stocked variety with a distinct, fragrant aroma that gives it its name ("karpuram" is camphor in Tamil, referring to the scent). Like yelakki, it's mostly an eating banana rather than a cooking one, and worth trying simply for the flavour difference from the more common varieties — a useful pick if you've only ever had the everyday supermarket banana and want to taste what the variety actually adds.

A quick guide to picking

• For frying or chips — nendram, bought while still firm and not fully ripe.
• For a soft, sweet eating banana or prasadam — rasthali.
• For a quick snack or lunchbox — yelakki, small and easy to eat in one go.
• For something aromatic and a little different — karpuram.
• Across all varieties, buy a mix of ripeness if you won't eat the whole bunch in a day or two — bananas continue ripening after purchase.

The full range is available in the fruits category, with prices varying by variety and season — worth checking the current price on the product page before ordering, since it changes over time. Express delivery in about 60 minutes if a tea-time bajji craving strikes and the kitchen is out of nendram.