First, we should make a distinction between vegetable bananas (used in savory cooking) and fruit (sweet) bananas.

Among the ramge of vegetable bananas found in the West Indies is the green fig banana. It is a member of the banana family and similar to plantain, although shorter, broader and sweeter. When unripe, it is treated as a vegetable and must be cooked. When ripe, the skin turns yellow and it is treated as a fruit.