Banana flower
The Tamil name for "Flower of Banana tree" is "Vaazhai poo".
In Tamil language, the word "Banana flower" is formed by "Vazhai" + "Poo"
"Vazhai" means Banana
and "Poo" means Flower
Image of Vaazhai Poo
Almost all parts of a plantain tree / banana tree is useful for us.
In present day, Tamil cuisine and in Asian cuisine, Banana flower plays a major role.
It is a healthy vegetable. It is a main ingredient in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine too. In Tamil cusine, there are various ways of using "Vaazhai poo":
1
Banana flower cut:
Banana flower is cut into small pieces, we make Vaazhaipoo poriyal or Kootu.
Images of Banana flower :
You will have to peal layers from the main flower to reveal the individual flower. You havfe to repeat the process to get all the flowers. Btw, you can also eat this raw. This has a unique taste, called "Thuvarppu", which is hard to describe in English.
Popular dish where Banana flower is used:
Poriyal, Kootu
Spelling variations in Tamil name for Banana flower:
Vazhaipoo, Vaazhai poo, Vaazhappoo, Vazhaipoo, Vala poo (as some poeple cannot pronounce zha), Vaala poo