
Pulling off and throwing away the stringy pieces of a banana may be one of the first things you do after peeling the fruit. You may start rethinking that ritual, however, when you learn more about the nature of these strands.

And it’s hard to believe that bananas have only been part of the American diet since the late 19th century. They first appeared at a market in Jersey City after Captain Lorenzo Baker brought them from Jamaica in 1870.

Since that fateful day, the yellow fruit has remained one of America’s favorites. Indeed, the U.S. population is said to eat more bananas than oranges and apples put together. Bananas have even now reached fourth place on the list of crops with the highest monetary value in the world.
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