Substitute for banana leaves?

[Jamie Utter]

I'm actually asking this question on behalf of my mom.

She is wondering if avocado leaves may be substituted
for recipes calling for banana leaves. Does anyone
know?

TIA,

Jamie

[Karen Anderson O'Mara]

Jamie Utter wrote:

Are they to be used for wrapping and cooking food? How about
corn husks (like cooking a tamale) instead?

I'm wondering if avocado leaves are toxic or something....

Karen

[Smithfarms100% Kona]

Yikes, I do not think avocado leaves are anything like banana leaves.
We have many of each here. Banana leaves are full of moisture and
very different from avocado leaves which are just normal and quite dry
leaves.

I am no super dooper cook but I am a farmer and the 2 plants you
mentioned are not similar except they both grow well here.

With aloha,
C. Smith

www.smithfarms.com for a tiptoe through our farm
& mail order info for our 100% Kona Coffee,
buttery Macadamias & natural Kona Honey

[DB]

I don't think avocado leaves would work. They are much smaller than banana leaves. Most of the time I've seen banana leaves used, they were used for wrapping up food, like a little package. What about parchment paper? Or even foil? I have a cookbook that says you can make tamales in foil instead of corn husks if you are in a pinch.

On Wed, 18 Oct 2000 10:25:29 -0700, Jamie Utter <but...@csusm.edu> wrote:

>I'm actually asking this question on behalf of my mom.
>
>She is wondering if avocado leaves may be substituted
>for recipes calling for banana leaves. Does anyone
>know?
>

>TIA,
>
>Jamie
>

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-
Don't reply to my posted address, use this one instead!

dba...@yahoo.com

[Rick &/or Cyndi H]

My guess would be Ti leaves... or is that the same thing?

--
Cyndi
**************************************************************************
"Well, if it (History) is just going to repeat itself; then why should I
pay attention to it the first time?"
by Suzanne Sugarbaker in Designing Women

[SeeksBalance]

No, no. Ugh! Ucky! Avocado leaves have a really distinct anise flavor which may
permeate your food. Try lotus leaves from an Asian market or Ti leaves that are
unsprayed (not floral supply).
Good luck!
Shen

[WardNA]

>you can make tamales in foil instead of corn husks if you are in a pinch.

Not foil. Parchment, butcher paper. Please, not foil.

[pud]

Actually I think you can get some organic Leaves Banana, or Ti, or Lotus
from some
Florists, but tell them what you want them for.

--
Mary f. <No Kitty! it's MY POT PIE!>
_ _
( \ / )
|\ ) ) _,,,/ (,,_
/, . '`~ ~-. ;-;;,_
|,4) -,_. , ( `'-'
'-~~' (_/~~' `-'\_)
It's a widdle,widdle, widdle pud (When I wake up, I'm gonna get
a CAT scan, "the santa clause")
http://home.earthlink.net/~maryf

http://www.zyworld.com/annfanHome.htm (for Redskin fans!)

[Jack and Kay Hartman]

On Thu, 19 Oct 2000 01:44:27 GMT, pud <ma...@earthlink.net> wrote:

>Actually I think you can get some organic Leaves Banana, or Ti, or Lotus
>from some
>Florists, but tell them what you want them for.

I would be leery of buying something from a florist that you intend to
use as food. Florist shop goods are grown for decoration and
chemicals not fit for human consumption. I'd want to have a lot of
trust in the florist before I'd consider ordering food items there. A
better choice is to find a market willing to place the order for you.
The food market's sources will be food related.

Kay

[Jack and Kay Hartman]

On Wed, 18 Oct 2000 10:25:29 -0700, Jamie Utter <but...@csusm.edu>
wrote:

>I'm actually asking this question on behalf of my mom.
>
>She is wondering if avocado leaves may be substituted
>for recipes calling for banana leaves. Does anyone
>know?

Well, the dish would be entirely different but that doesn't mean it
can't be done. Whether or not it would taste good depends on the
recipe. Both banana leaves and avocado leaves impart flavor into the
dish but the flavor is not similar.

Kay

[Smithfarms100% Kona]

about Wed, 18 Oct 2000 23:17:49 GMT, "Rick &/or Cyndi H"
<rncha...@home.com> wrote:

>My guess would be Ti leaves... or is that the same thing?

Aloha,

Ti leaves are not banana leaves, but both are large and used often for
cooking in Hawaii. We would substitute banana leaves for Ti leaves. I
did not know you had access to Ti leaves on the mainland. But a
florist would probably have them. You would just want to use the
strong pure green ones, to substitute for the banana leaves.

[fog...@home.com]

Jamie Utter <but...@csusm.edu> wrote:
> I'm actually asking this question on behalf of my mom.
> She is wondering if avocado leaves may be substituted
> for recipes calling for banana leaves.

If she's looking to use up her avocado leaves, they're not toxic, though
they will affect the taste more than banana leaves. If she's trying to
do a specific recipe and worried about availability, she'll find banana
leaves in most Asian and some Mexican grocery stores.

If she makes something with the avocado leaves, you gotta post it, so I
can try it out on our next trip to SanDiego.

Martin
--
Martin Golding | Real Men make hollandaise
DoD #236 | over medium heat.
fog...@home.com Portland, OR

[Nala]

When a recipe calls for banana leaves, you shouldn't substitute it for
anything. Banana leaves are often used when the item calls for steaming or
boiling - the leaves infuse their flavor and aroma onto the food. Avocado
leaves have a very different composition, so you may not get the results
that you are supposed to get. Lotus leaves are probably the best substitute
for banana. Check any Asian stores.

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