A Gadget that Turns a Banana into a World of Possibilities

Argentina – home of the tango, gauchos, Diego Maradona and...the DestapaBanana?

That's right – the DestapaBanana, ("destapar" is a Spanish verb that can mean to uncover or unplug), while not yet commercially available, has been created by Argentine inventor, Sebastián Berger. The invention works on bananas much the way an apple-corer does, except that, one could argue, bananas don't have a core – so what is the purpose?

As Berger demonstrates, removing a cylindrical piece within the banana while leaving the peel intact creates a hole which can be filled with any number of things, such as chocolate and yogurt – though Berger is convinced that dulce de leche will be a popular choice in his native Argentina. (I've got dibs on peanut butter when the DestapaBanana makes it to the United States.)

When I communicated with Sebastián Berger via e-mail, he explained how he foresees DestapaBanana being sold and used.

"U.S. consumers and nearly everyone in the world will find [the DestapaBanana] at supermarkets with promotions, which would include one DestapaBanana, one coupon for bananas, and one coupon for liquid and solid fillers for approximately $20-$25," he said.

Berger went on to tell me that he imagines the DestapaBanana being used in homes and businesses where bananas would be filled with "various gourmet fillings characteristic of each country, in addition to dulce de leche."

To some people an invention such as the DestapaBanana may seem unnecessary and unnatural. After all, what is wrong with bananas just the way they are? Should we be stuffing healthy fruit with possibly unhealthy, high-calorie fillings in a world that is already brimming with edible temptations and is fighting an obesity epidemic?

Yet, DestapaBanana is really no less natural than what we already do to fruit – think, chocobananos, caramel apples and drunken watermelons.

However, if you thought Berger is only all about bananas, think again. His name also appears on the Pelapiña, (pineapple peeler) website.

Tracy López is a bilingual writer living outside the Washington DC metro area. She is the founder of Latinaish.com.