Removing the Peel: The Story Behind Bananas

Benjamin Pomerantz

Bananas are the fourth-most popular agricultural product in the entire world, and  they have become a staple in our diets.  We eat banana splits, we put sliced bananas in our cereals and salads, and we eat entire bananas by themselves. Almost all of us have at least tasted a banana. The widespread consumption of bananas confirms globalization because the bananas are distributed from Latin America to the United States, and to rest of the world, very quickly.  The globalized banana trade also shows how mobility has increased–the bananas are easily transported via ship from one part of the world to another.  The banana trade also emphasizes nature-culture interactions and landscape, because fruit companies, like DOLE, have turned regular land into large-scale banana plantations.  While we consume bananas regularly, it is important to understand how these bananas end up in our hands.