Stop Throwing Out Your Banana Peels And Eat Them Instead

There's a long list of veggies and fruits we can eat every part of, and while we know that banana peels have lots of practical uses beyond composting, you may be surprised to learn that they're also edible, though perhaps not in the way you might think. Vegans and anyone who can't bear to throw away leftovers have long used banana peels to make — wait for it — bacon.

It might sound like the orphan child of Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich, but the process for transforming banana skins into a savory bite is simple and, for those who have given it a whirl, surprisingly tasty. If you want to try it, it's important to buy very ripe bananas that have no fertilizer or pesticide residues, then give the peels a really good wash beforehand just to be sure. 

When you've done all that and either eaten or frozen the fruit inside, scrape off any remaining flesh so the peels are paper-thin, then cut them into strips. After marinating — many like a mix including soy sauce and liquid smoke for its bacon-like flavors, and the longer the peel sits, the better the results will taste, many say — fry the peels until crispy. Will you fool anyone into thinking it's pork bacon? No, probably not, but reports indicate this can be a tasty way to use up banana peels nonetheless.

Lots of people have been surprised at how much they liked the taste and crispy texture of banan-acon, even if it doesn't taste 100% like the real thing. More specifically, many appreciated the savory flavor that was underpinned by a subtle hint of sweet banana. Of course, it's not the only food you can make with banana peels. Vegans have been using them, as well as plantain skins, to make a meat-free version of pulled pork for years, while in Latin America, home cooks use banana peels in all sorts of recipes, including hamburgers, meatballs and as a type of beef steak replacement.

Banana peels are also popular in countries across the Indian subcontinent, where they add fibrous bulk to chutneys and curries. Knowing that the color of a banana can tell us how nutritious it is, cooks in India and Bangladesh use the greener fruit for sweeter dishes, and riper banana skins for savory recipes.

If you're a cocktail lover, you've got another reason to keep your banana peels. Instead of tossing them, use the peels to make a delicious oleo saccharum, a blend of equal parts sugar and skins, with added citrus peel that's left in a sealed jar for up to two days. If you want a fruity alternative to simple syrup for your next Old Fashioned, it's just the thing.