Surely, I can’t be the only person to have ever asked, why do sliced bananas taste better?
Go on, admit it; you’ve noticed it yourself, haven’t you?
I do love bananas regardless of how I consume them.
However, there is definitely something far more yummy and pleasurable about sliced bananas.
As it turns out, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.
Sliced bananas taste better for a variety of reasons. Firstly, there is more surface area to a sliced banana, which means that you’ll be using more taste buds. You will also have introduced oxygen to the inner part of the banana, and this will release gases and toxins. Basically, you have released the banana’s essence and aroma. Furthermore, the texture of the inside of a banana is far juicier than the fibrous outer part.
1. Are You Using More Taste Buds?
Initially, I had a hard time getting my head around this, but eventually, it made a lot of sense.
Basically, the inside of a banana is far juicier than the outer fibrous part.
So, it makes sense this is the tastier part of the banana.
Therefore, as soon as you slice a banana, you are exposing more of the juicy inside.
And then, when it comes to eating your sliced banana, a larger surface area of the juicy insides is in contact with your taste buds.
In effect, there is more contact between the various banana parts and your taste buds than you would experience from eating a banana whole.
This also explains why you might enjoy a fruit salad that contains sliced bananas but don’t appreciate eating a banana in the “normal way.”
Okay, admittedly, the introduction of other fruits is certainly more tantalizing to the taste buds.
But you must have noticed that the banana part of your fruit salad always tastes great.
Once again, this is down to the surface area and taste buds.
2. Have You Introduced Oxygen to the Inner Banana?
Right, here comes the science bit.
Firstly, by slicing into a banana, you have broken the cell structure.
This releases certain fluids which carry the banana’s essence and aroma.
And this is all an important part of the eating experience.
However, most importantly, once you slice a banana, you expose the inner part to air.
A banana will then undergo a chemical reaction with oxygen, more specifically, oxidation.
This is a similar process to iron reacting with oxygen and creating rust.
In effect, the banana is decomposing.
Admittedly, this doesn’t sound particularly appetizing, but it certainly makes a banana taste sweeter.
If you closely observe each slice of a banana, you’ll notice a sheen that covers it after a few moments.
This is oxidation in action, and it literally brings your banana to life.
A banana is now bursting with flavor, aroma, and pure banana essence.
Delicious!
3. Is the Texture of Sliced Banana More Pleasurable?
I have alluded to this above, but by slicing a banana, you will change the texture.
Regardless of how ripe a banana is, most of the yumminess is packed on the inside.
The outside of the banana flesh is typically fibrous and coarse.
However, the inside is soft and juicy.
And as we now know, all the tasty goodness is released once you expose the inside of a banana.
With that said, eating is far more than taste alone.
There are various parts of the process that make it more pleasurable, and texture is definitely one of these.
Just the mere fact that more of the juicy part of the banana is in contact with your mouth than the coarse outside makes the experience far more satisfying.
Just to go off-topic for a moment, I have the exact same experience with grated cheese.
Is anybody with me?
No, just me, then.
Sliced Banana Trick
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are a variety of reasons why sliced bananas taste better.
The inside of a banana is typically far more flavorful, aromatic, and juicy than the outside.
So, by slicing a banana, you expose more of the inside to your taste buds.
Sliced banana also goes through oxidation when exposed to air, which simply makes them taste far sweeter.
Furthermore, the difference in the texture of the inside of the banana is much more appealing inside your mouth.
And, if you are looking for a different way to eat your sliced fruit, how about adding your bananas to Jello?
Hey thanks for the information. I found it quite useful.
Great info. Growing some bananas stalks now, and looking forward to my miniature Florida bananas. I actually clicked on the video link with the slicing the banana inside the peel track and that was really cool. Lots of great information! Thank you.