Did you know you can eat banana peels?
We mindlessly toss ‘em in the trash, but in some countries banana peels are simply eaten. And the peel is also gaining ground among vegans, as it is supposedly an excellent meat substitute. Is that true? And how do you make it tasty?
First we had jackfruit, and now eating banana peels also seems to be becoming increasingly popular in the West. The Stingy Vegan published an article in April about a ‘banana peel pulled pork’ and received many reactions (see video). The idea comes from a Venezuelan recipe, where they have been making a vegetarian version of carne mechada (a kind of stewed meat) with banana peels for some time.
How to cook with them
Want to try it? You (obviously) peel the banana and scrape away as much of the white inner part as possible. You can then boil the peels and pull them apart into small strands, as with pulled pork, and marinate them. You can also fry them or throw the peels into your smoothie. It is advisable to combine the peels with other ingredients, though, because on their own they are mainly bitter.
In Brazil, they have been using banana peels as a meat substitute much more often, such as in these meatballs. But they also make burgers or even steak from them. Here is another recipe from Venezuela, in which banana peels are incorporated into a vegetable dish. In India, they prefer to make a vegetarian banana peel thoran (vegetable dish).
Prefer something sweeter? Follow this video in which Food52 makes a cake with banana peels:
Healthy or not?
Is it really a good idea to eat banana peels? According to food expert Laura Flores, you can eat the peel without a problem and, besides being good for the environment, it has some other benefits: ‘It contains high amounts of vitamin B6 and B12, as well as magnesium and potassium. It also contains some fiber and protein.’ It is important to wash the banana peel thoroughly before cooking with it, because of any pesticides that may be on it. Therefore, preferably choose peels from organic bananas.
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