You've Been Peeling Bananas Wrong Your Whole Life

Americans eat, on average, 27 pounds of bananas per person per year (via Fair Trade Campaign), but it turns out there's a good chance you've been peeling bananas wrong. After the long journey it takes for a banana to get to your table, and then to reach that perfectly ripened state, you don't want to end up wasting any of it just because you peeled it wrong. Luckily, the right way to peel a banana for a quick healthy snack is really simple. It just requires thinking a little outside the box — like a monkey (or so they say). 

Mature bananas have a stem end (where they are connected to the bunch) and a blossom end. The stem end is the part of the banana that has what looks like a little handle, and a lot of people peel their bananas from the top down, using the stem to help assist in peeling. 

However, this can lead to the top of the banana getting bent, bruised, and squished (via The Kitchn). Sure, you can save those battered bananas for your next batch of banana bread, but what if you want to eat a banana whole, or cut it into perfect slices for a peanut butter and banana sandwich? Thankfully, there's another way. 

Turn the banana upside down, and peel it from the blossom end. All you need to do is pinch the brown stub until the peel splits, then grab hold of the banana skin and peel away. Peeling your banana this way can also remove those weird banana strings that sometimes stick to the fruit even after you've removed the skin (via Slate).

Some people say that this is how monkeys peel their bananas, but it turns out that's kind of a myth — most monkeys don't actually eat bananas as a part of their regular diet (via Business Insider). Does that mean we humans can take the credit for finally cracking the code on the best way to peel bananas?