# Biggest disparity between amount of a food eaten as is vs amount of recipes including it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 15, 2022, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933 "2022-11-15T06:40:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/1 "2022-11-15T06:40:32Z")
Had this thought about bananas today. It’s the world’s most popular fruit, according to statistics, the average American eats 27 lbs of bananas every year. And yet, there really aren’t that many iconic recipes that feature bananas. There’s the few that everyone can name: banana pudding, banana splits, banana smoothies, banana bread. But once you move past those, it’s a pretty niche ingredient as far as composed dishes go. Can anyone else think of other foodstuffs where there’s such a big disparity between how much we eat it out of hand vs how little we use it in a recipe? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/2 "2022-11-15T06:47:05Z")
Wouldn’t that be the same for most fruits? As for vegetables, I think the usual way I get celery is when I eat a stalk of it, instead of as an ingredient in other things, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/3 "2022-11-15T06:55:02Z")
I’m surprised walnuts don’t make it into more recipes, especially savory ones. I crush them up and add them to tuna or egg salad. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/4 "2022-11-15T07:25:09Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I think the usual way I get celery is when I eat a stalk of it, instead of as an ingredient in other things, AFAIK. Celery is a part of mirepoix, sofrito, trinity and a bunch of other aromatic bases that are the basis for a lot of Western cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/5 "2022-11-15T08:43:27Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > There’s the few that everyone can name: banana pudding, banana splits, banana smoothies, banana bread. But once you move past those, it’s a pretty niche ingredient as far as composed dishes go. Bananas flambe! Sliced bananas, brown sugar, rum, butter, big WHOOSH, delicious. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/6 "2022-11-15T08:52:02Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Bananas flambe! Sliced bananas, brown sugar, rum, butter, big WHOOSH, delicious. isnr bananas foster pretty close to that? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/7 "2022-11-15T08:56:39Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > isnr bananas foster pretty close to that? I think bananas foster is the hoity-toity country club version, where the bananas are sliced lengthwise. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/8 "2022-11-15T09:35:31Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Bananas flambe! Sliced bananas, brown sugar, rum, butter, big WHOOSH, delicious. A restaurant we used to go to decades ago had an exquisite variation of that, involving bananas, several types of liqueur (I only remember Grand Marnier being one of them), vanilla ice cream, and probably other things I’ve forgotten. It was set ablaze at table side. I don’t remember if the ice cream was part of the inferno or if it was added later. There was no sugar involved – the Grand Marnier provided the sweetness. It was so good that at some point I asked for the recipe, and the restaurant cheerfully provided it. I put it into a cookbook I have which is still packed away from the last move. I’m going to have to dig it out and recreate this ambrosia! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/9 "2022-11-15T09:56:56Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > But once you move past those, it’s a pretty niche ingredient as far as composed dishes go. In Eur-american culture, maybe. But there are _[plenty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_banana#Dishes)_ of iconic African, Asian, Caribbean and South American banana dishes. Oh, and in before the pedants: " Worldwide, there is no sharp distinction between “[bananas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana)” and “plantains”. […]In other regions, such as Southeast Asia, many more kinds of banana are grown and eaten, so the binary distinction is not as useful and is not made in local languages." ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/10 "2022-11-15T10:44:17Z")
We only cook bananas on barbeques. Take a fairly green banana, slice it open lengthwise still in its skin, insert chocolate flakes, wrap it in foil and put it on the hot coals while you eat the main course. Eat it from the skin with a spoon - Delicious 😋 ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/11 "2022-11-15T11:07:05Z")
oohh post it if ya do … ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/12 "2022-11-15T16:07:41Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Can anyone else think of other foodstuffs where there’s such a big disparity between how much we eat it out of hand vs how little we use it in a recipe? We eat very little wheat out of hand, and substantially all of it in recipes. That’s the opposite direction from bananas, but it wasn’t clear to me whether you were interested in that direction too. Or not. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/13 "2022-11-15T16:26:45Z")
First one that came to my mind is grapes. We eat them fresh, some put them in Jello molds, and of course there is wine, but otherwise, they don’t cook well, and there may be few recipies that call for grapes (not raisins - I know they are added to a lot of cooked dishes). ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/14 "2022-11-15T16:36:58Z")
I nominate watermelon. Other than cubing/scooping it for fruit salad and perhaps a handful of boutique uses in recipes … watermelon consumption has to be 99% straight from the rind. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/15 "2022-11-15T16:42:02Z")
I put chopped banana in my porridge. Or eat them raw out of the skin as nature intended. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/16 "2022-11-15T16:57:11Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > they don’t cook well, and there may be few recipies that call for grapes [Chickens stuffed with grapes](https://www.medievalcookery.com/search/display.html?forme:34:GRP) was a tasty medieval dish. And of course, _[verjuice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verjuice)_ was used a lot then, too (and experienced a recent revival). ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/17 "2022-11-15T18:12:29Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Can anyone else think of other foodstuffs where there’s such a big disparity between how much we eat it out of hand vs how little we use it in a recipe? I mean, it’s obvious, but very little animal based protein is eaten out of hand without being cooked or otherwise treated (even jerky, or tartare require a good bit of processing). But as @LSLGuy pointed out, that’s more in the reverse scenario that may be out of scope. I do find that **fresh** fruit in the US is almost always eaten out of hand, but _canned or frozen_ fruit is very likely to be used as an ingredient. So that may skew the original assumption of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/18 "2022-11-15T18:47:58Z")
I’ll say melon in general. Melon jam, melon milkshakes, melon cake or bread? There are some melon salads but berries are probably used more and are also capable of being in almost every other dessert. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/19 "2022-11-15T18:57:11Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > As for vegetables, I think the usual way I get celery is when I eat a stalk of it, instead of as an ingredient in other things, AFAIK. Celery is used in a ton of recipes. Pretty much any Cajun/Creole dish is going to include celery; it’s one third of the “holy trinity” of Cajun food (celery, onions, and peppers) used as an aromatic base. Not to mention tons of soups. Chopped up in tuna salad, chicken salad, etc. I am going to nominate lettuce, although that one may depend on what you consider to be a “recipe”. Lettuce is pretty much never eaten cooked; we mostly eat it in salads and sandwiches. Is “Place bacon, lettuce, and tomato between two slices of bread” a recipe? Is “Toss romaine lettuce and croutons with Caesar dressing” a recipe? Does telling the Subway Sandwich Artist that you want lettuce on your Cold Cut Combo count as using it in a recipe? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933/20 "2022-11-15T19:12:32Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > I’ll say melon in general. I’d agree that all the melons are very infrequently consumed in a non-fresh non-processed form. Berries and other fruits are often made into jams, or dried, canned, put in pies, and sauced. Melons, not so much. I’d put melons ahead of bananas in that regard, you put bananas in smoothies, on pancakes, and in breads/muffins. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-disparity-between-amount-of-a-food-eaten-as-is-vs-amount-of-recipes-including-it/974933.md?page=2)