How to tell if a banana is ripe

The clearest sign of a ripe banana is that its flesh has softened as its starch turns into sugar, making it sweeter.

• The flesh softens as the banana ripens, its starch being converted into sugars.
• A ripe banana tastes sweeter because its starch has turned into sugar.
• In cross section the flesh loses its angularity and the fingers look full and rounded.
• The peel may show little or no sign of ripening even when the inside is already soft, so the skin color alone is not a reliable sign.