SABA

Sabá is a cooking variety of banana having the scientific name Musa saba. It has been called cardava, cardaba or kardaba in English and other languages. The Indonesians call it pisang kepok.

The sabá is much fatter and starchier than the typical table banana. It is sometimes referred to as a cooking plantain. Sabá is rarely eaten raw.

Peeled Saba Bananas… Photo by Toyang Noresa

WAYS TO PREPARE SABA

nilagang sabá
– simply boiled and optionally eaten with brown sugar

bananakyu
– coated in brown sugar, deep fried and optionally skewered on a wooden stick

turon
– wrapped in spring-roll wrapper, sometimes with jackfruit, then deep fried

minatamis (“sweetened”)
– cooked in sugar syrup
– can be eaten as is or added as an ingredient in haluhalo

Sabá is also an ingredient in the stew called pochero.