A Giant Chiquita Banana?

I think almost everyone I meet that have not grown up with Latinos confuse bananas and plantains. Which is a normal response, considering that when plantains are ripe they do resemble a Giant Banana. But you should not confuse the two. Let me help you clarify.

         

     There is nothing more calming to me than "tostones" or even a nice sweet "pionono" when I want a quick Spanish Love fix. However, it was not until I wrote this blog that I decided to do more research on what exactly is the starchy vegetable that brings me (and many other's I'm sure) such joy.



 Well to start, it turns out that plantains are not a vegetable at all, but a FRUIT! Plantains are mostly associated with South America as well as the tropics. Places such as Puerto Rico, Bolivia, Peru and Columbia. What was a surprise to me is that plantains are also present in exotic places such as Egypt, Nigeria and even the Philippines.

Green Plantains

It's exciting to find out all of the recipes all over the world that uses plantains as the Star of the Dish! From "Mangu" from the Dominican Republic to "Dodo" from West Africa, "Chiffles" from Peru to having the food in flour form to concoct a drink in India.

 In all of the research it was hard to pin-point the nutritional value of the Plantains or even their caloric content. The good news is that they are actually not as bad as many would think.

 Plantains are a great source of vitamin C, B6, a great source of potassium and magnesium. A cup of mashed Plantains equates to approximately 232 calories. If combined with a healthy protein you will be able to enjoy the delicious "tostones" or even "mofongo" without the guilt!

Ripe Plantains are super sweet!

In all, Plantains are not only delicious and surprisingly a healthy choice!

Buen Provecho!