[amalia (OP)]

Rick sent us a really interesting question:
Why do some bananas have 3 sections in their peels whilst others have 4 or 5?
Do you know the answer?

[evan_au]

Do you mean 3 strips of skin that traditionally peel down the length of the banana?

There is a protective outer layer (a peel or skin) with numerous long, thin strings (the phloem bundles), which run lengthwise between the skin and the edible inner portion. The inner part of the common yellow dessert variety can be split lengthwise into three sections that correspond to the inner portions of the three carpels by manually deforming the unopened fruit

There is a variable number of ridges down the length of the banana.
- I assume that the number of ridges is derived from the way the baby bananas are closely packed inside the bunch(?)
- Geometrically, the skin will fold out most easily if the strips match the spaces between the ridges

Experimental result: I just started 7 strips on a 5-ridged banana, and these strips, once started, continued to peel all the way down the fruit. So maybe the "3 strips" is a movie meme, rather than a biological imperative?
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana#Description

PS: actually, a banana fruit is really a berry....

[Colin2B]

- I assume that the number of ridges is derived from the way the baby bananas are closely packed inside the bunch(?)

I would assume the same.
I’ve never counted them, but I will now.