Why There’s No Banana-Tomato Hybrid (and Other Rabbit Holes My Brain Explores)

So I went down a weird rabbit hole yesterday. Things might get real weird, so this is your first—and final—warning. Read at your own risk 😬

There are moments when a random thought or question pops into my head and I need to know more about it immediately. Not “in a few minutes” immediately. More like drop everything, grab my phone, and Google it right now immediately.

As I was writing the previous paragraph, my brain took a left turn and started thinking about how strange it is that—up until the early 1980s—you could call information by dialing “0” or “411” and ask for the time, the weather, or even someone’s street address.

A real living, breathing person would answer.

(And yes—this wasn’t just my imagination. Live telephone operators and directory assistance really were a thing well into the late 20th century.)

By the 1980s, many of those services started becoming automated, but I distinctly remember dialing “0” just to find out the time—especially during a storm when we’d lost power. Which feels absurd now, but back then we didn’t walk around with tiny computers in our pockets.

Today, we just pull out our phone. Or glance at our smartwatch. (Or even a regular, old-fashioned “dumb” watch—those still work too.)

Thinking about it now feels oddly surreal. I remember calling the operator and getting a live human being on the other end of the line—something we barely expect anymore.

Everything is so automated now that when a real person answers, it almost feels… like a small victory.

Wow. I’ve really gotten off topic.

Let’s try this again.

I went down a weird rabbit hole yesterday—one that even I thought was a bit strange.

I started wondering why there’s no such thing as a tomana (or maybe a banato). Why hasn’t someone created a hybrid fruit from a banana and a tomato?

What would that even look like? Would it be shaped like a banana, but orange-ish on the outside, with a pinkish, tomato-like interior? I’m not sure what that would taste like… and I’m not convinced it would be pleasant. Would you peel it like a banana? Or cut it like a tomato? So many questions, so few answers.
(Also, I’m not really sure why my brain randomly chose a tomato and a banana. Weird, right?)

Many—if not most—of the fruits and vegetables we eat today are hybridized or selectively bred versions of their ancient ancestors. Over time, they’ve been cultivated to increase size, improve texture, and enhance flavor.

Despite the fact that I am a scientist 😉, I know very little about the hybridization of fruits… well, I know very little about hybridization of anything. What I do know is that you can only hybridize plants that are genetically compatible.

Sadly (or maybe fortunately), tomatoes and bananas come from entirely different plant families, which means they’re not compatible. No hybrid. No tomana. No banato.

Which means you will never have to hear your mother ask,
“Who peeled the tomana, took one bite, and left it on the counter?”

Or:

“Who ate my last banato? I was saving that for my lunch tomorrow.”

Some real hybrid fruits and vegetables do exist, though—many with names that sound suspiciously made up:

• Pluot / Plumcot – a hybrid of an apricot and a plum
• Ugli fruit – a cross between a tangerine, grapefruit, and orange
• Tangor – tangerine and orange
• Limequat – lime and kumquat
• Lemato – tomato and lemon basil (an herb hybrid, not a true fruit mashup)
• Broccoflower – broccoli and cauliflower
• Broccolini – broccoli and Chinese kale

My mum loves trying new fruits and vegetables, so I’ve sampled a few of these over the years—pluots, tangors, and ugli fruit included.

And honestly? Some of these names sound less like produce and more like diseases or weird skin conditions.

I can hear it now:

“OMG, have you seen Lisa? She has the biggest lemato on her foot.”

Or:

“I think Mike’s limequat is acting up again. I haven’t seen him in a while.”

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I’m going to end this before my brain takes another sharp left turn. When I started this blog, I never expected I’d be writing about ugli fruit, broccolini, or pluots.

But here we are.

And honestly? I can confidently say there’s probably not another blog out there quite like mine.

I think that’s a very good thing.

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⭐ If this made you laugh—or sent your brain down a weird rabbit hole—feel free to like, share, or follow along for more curious detours.

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