Bananas have been so ubiquitous and so popular for so long that it's hard to imagine the kitchen without them. Not just a snacking fruit (although they're excellent at that too), they're the ingredient that gives life to smoothies, quick breads, desserts (think banana cream pie and banana splits), even a simple bowl of plain cereal.

But the banana we all grew up with may not be so familiar to our grandchildren, according to this article on culinate.com. The Cavendish, the banana variety that makes up virtually the entire North American market—many of us are even unaware there's more than one kind of banana—is going extinct, prey to a disease that is spreading quickly through banana plantations. Experts estimate that the Cavendish will be gone within the next 20 years.

What do you think? Will you mourn the Cavendish? What will you miss the most about bananas?

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