<P> Banana hearts are used as a vegetable in South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine, either raw or steamed with dips or cooked in soups, curries and fried foods . The flavor resembles that of artichoke . As with artichokes, both the fleshy part of the bracts and the heart are edible . </P> <P> Banana leaves are large, flexible, and waterproof . They are often used as ecologically friendly disposable food containers or as "plates" in South Asia and several Southeast Asian countries . In Indonesian cuisine, banana leaf is employed in cooking method called pepes and botok; the banana leaf packages containing food ingredients and spices are cooked on steam, in boiled water or grilled on charcoal . In the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala in every occasion the food must be served in a banana leaf and as a part of the food a banana is served . Steamed with dishes they impart a subtle sweet flavor . They often serve as a wrapping for grilling food . The leaves contain the juices, protect food from burning and add a subtle flavor . In Tamil Nadu (India) leaves are fully dried and used as packing material for food stuffs and also making cups to hold liquid foods . In Central American countries, banana leaves are often used as wrappers for tamales . </P> <P> The tender core of the banana plant's trunk is also used in South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine, and notably in the Burmese dish mohinga . </P> <P> Banana fiber harvested from the pseudostems and leaves of the plant has been used for textiles in Asia since at least the 13th century . Both fruit - bearing and fibrous varieties of the banana plant have been used . In the Japanese system Kijōka - bashōfu, leaves and shoots are cut from the plant periodically to ensure softness . Harvested shoots are first boiled in lye to prepare fibers for yarn - making . These banana shoots produce fibers of varying degrees of softness, yielding yarns and textiles with differing qualities for specific uses . For example, the outermost fibers of the shoots are the coarsest, and are suitable for tablecloths, while the softest innermost fibers are desirable for kimono and kamishimo . This traditional Japanese cloth - making process requires many steps, all performed by hand . </P>

Where does the potassium in bananas come from