Could banana peel be the next big thing in vegan meat alternatives?

Don't be so quick to throw away your banana peels. Photo / Getty Images

By now you've probably heard of loads of vegan "meat" alternatives, such as soy mince, pea protein meatballs, mushroom burgers, or maybe even jackfruit pulled pork.

Well, now there's apparently a hot new "meat" option: banana skin. And it can be used in a variety of vegan dishes.

According to food blogger, Melissa Copeland, aka The Stingy Vegan, the skin is completely edible. To prove it she shared a video on her blog last week demonstrating how to use it to make the perfect "pulled pork" sandwich.

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Banana peel vegan pulled pork sandwiches. Don't freak out, banana peels are perfectly edible, are not gross and this recipe is based on a Venezuelan technique for veganizing shredded meat. Click through to the post to read all about it. Link in my profile! . #govegan #whatveganseat #veganrecipes #vegancommunity #veganliving #veganism #veganfoodshare #veganfood #veganlifestyle #vegandiet #vegansofig #plantbased #vegan #veganeats #justvegan #eatvegan #plantpowered #vegans #veganfortheanimals #vegansofinstagram #vegansofinsta #eattherainbow #bestofvegan #veganfoodshare #plantpower #veganfoodporn #bananapeelpulledpork #veganpulledpork #thestingyvegan

A post shared by Melissa @ thestingyvegan.com (@cilantro_and_citronella) on Mar 13, 2019 at 7:42am PDT

You may feel a little squeamish at the thought of biting into a bitter banana peel, and the blogger notes she too was a sceptic to begin with:

"I was super sceptical about it but brave enough to try it. Turns out it works!

"You are probably just as sceptical as I was about banana peels so let me put your mind at rest: no, they are not bitter and no it doesn't taste like banana. The trick is to choose bananas that are not quite ripe yet as the peels are firmer and thicker, and scrape out the white skin part from the inside."

First, she recommends scraping the inside with a spoon to get rid of all white flesh. Then she demonstrates shredding the skin with a fork before mixing it with olive oil and spices and frying it in water and BBQ sauce.

Copeland then serves the creation in a seeded bun with coleslaw on top, to make it look the part.

It turns out she isn't the first to try the wacky offering either: Fellow food bloggers note they also use banana peel in fishless fishcakes, faux meatballs and even to make bacon.

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Vegan BLTA!! But wait! The bacon is made from...BANANA PEEL! 😲 If you haven't tried this yet, get on it!! Scrape any banana bits from the peel, steam for about 5 mins, and marinate in your favorite bacon flavors (liquid smoke, soy sauce, maple syrup, bit of evoo). Fry it up in a cast iron until it's as crispy as you like it. It sounds bizarro, but holy crap this was so good!! 🌱🥓🤤

A post shared by vegan_dreadhead (@vegan_dreadhead) on Feb 27, 2019 at 2:19pm PST

Although not as rich in potassium as a banana, the peel contains vitamin B6, B12, magnesium and potassium, and is a source of fibre.