From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
prairie banana (plural prairie bananas)
- (US, colloquial) A pawpaw (Asimina triloba).
2015, Gabrielle Balkan, The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!, Wide Eyed Editions, →ISBN, page 72:At this annual Albany festival visitors can enjoy treats from the pawpaw fruit, including “prairie banana” ice cream.
2023 September 29, Molly Fitzpatrick, “He’s the Pawpaw King of Brooklyn. (What’s a Pawpaw?)”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:If you’ve ever sampled an American custard apple, a prairie banana or a hillbilly mango, then you’ve eaten a pawpaw.