Pisang Ambon Lumut
The ambon lumut banana cultivar (of the species Musa acuminata) is one of hundreds of banana varieties found in Indonesia. Its name refers to the color of its peel: lumut means “moss” in Indonesia, and this banana has a yellowish-green, mossy colored peel when ripe. The ambon lumut banana is found on the island of Java, and is a high yielding variety. Individual trees can produce an annual harvest of 7-10 bunches of fruit, each containing 140-200 bananas. The fruits are 20-23 cm long and 4-5 cm in diameter, with a thick peel. They are smaller than other types of ambon bananas that grow in Indonesia. This banana has a specific aroma, a soft texture and a sweet taste. Ambon lumut bananas are mainly cultivated for their yellowish-white pulp, which is often processed into flour, purees and chips. The leaf from this banana variety is also used to wrap food, such as nasi liwet (“milky rice”). Ambon lumut bananas are sold on the market, both in their main production area in Central Java Province and in other parts of Indonesia. However, while this variety is highly appreciated for its taste, aroma and consistency, despite its slightly different color and size, it is often confused for or mixed together with other ambon bananas. Ambon lumut bananas are not found at all markets, such as large central markets or supermarkets. These tend to just stock a handful of banana cultivars, or even one main banana variety, the Cavendish. Traditional varieties like the ambon lumut are not as commercially successful, because they are not as uniform in appearance and not suited to production at a commercial scale, and so if consumers do not especially seek out this variety and give producers a continued reason to cultivate it, it may be lost in the future.
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