There banana peel, waste food generally destined for the garbage can, could be the next vegetable and vegan alternative to animal meat. This new fashion was launched and made viral by the well-known Canadian food blogger Melissa Copeland by The Stingy Vegan. His recipe of pulled pork sandwich with banana peels instead of the usual and popular jackfruit has become not only a media case, dividing the web into two, but has given way to a long series of vegetable recipes that have this bizarre ingredient as a protagonist. From burgers to meatballs, to vegan bacon, the recipes based on peels go crazy on the web and seem to convince even the most skeptical.

Is the banana peel the new jackfruit?

The banana peel, recently promoted to an ingredient thanks to this brand new vegan trend, is actually a food widely used both in the cuisine of Southeast Asia and South America, particularly in India and Venezuela. If in India you could in fact come across vegetable curries or rich recipes based on vegetables and coconut milk, in Venezuela the banana peels are replaced with those of plane trees, usually boiled and sautéed in a pan with other ingredients. In the vegan universe, however, the banana peel they have become popular especially in the greedy vegan version of pulled pork, that is the US branded sandwich made from shredded pork, barbecue sauce and various seasonings.

From vegan pulled pork sandwich to vegan bacon

The basic preparation for this new vegan variant of pulled pork sandwich, which can also be used for other plant-based recipes and which recalls the previous fashion of the jackfruit, it is quite easy and takes half an hour at the most. First, peel the banana and, using a teaspoon, delicately remove all residues. The next phase, the most laborious, is that of the fraying: Using a fork or knife, the skins should be reduced to vertical threads. The next phase is the marinating, which requires the skins to be left immersed for a few minutes in a mixture of spices and sauces, including cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, BBQ sauce and maple syrup. As soon as they are seasoned, the banana peels must be cooked in a pan with some water for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets and the level of maturity of the banana used.
What you get at the end is a surprisingly soft and richly flavored base dish, which does not remember the banana at all, but which can rather make you think of marinated vegetables.

In addition to the classic marinated dishes, such as the pulled pork sandwich or vegan strips in BBQ sauce, banana peels are also suitable for other variations of meat-based preparation with strong flavors.
Among the many options shared by vegan food bloggers and food lovers are, for example, the vegetable meatballs and the vegan version of bacon and tuna, two plant-based recipes already very popular on the web and with many variations.
We just have to wait and see if this vegan trend will really take hold or if it will slip away quickly, like when we fall on a banana peel.

Photo: vegan burger pulled pork with banana_chefjanapinheiro.jpg
Photo: vegan banana peels trend_Pixabay.jpg

Other Recipes you can read:

• 10 delicious banana desserts for Banana day – Italian cuisine ..

  Obviously banana sweets: what, if not, to celebrate Banana day? Besides, who doesn't like bananas? A favorite fruit of children, the banana has always been one of ..

• Vegan cauliflower and chickpea meatballs – Italian cuisine reinvented by ..

  Cook the cauliflower to the steam until it becomes tender. Drain it well and let it cool.In a blenderjoin the cauliflower cooked ham, chickpeas, red onion, garlic cloves, ..

• the vegan savory pie to try – Italian cuisine reinvented ..

  Would you like to experience the tradition of a typical Campania dishbut without giving up the innovation of one vegan recipe? ..