the.com/plantain
a banana that hit the gym and refused to be eaten raw.
means A starchy banana relative, larger and firmer than the dessert banana, that's usually cooked — fried, boiled, or roasted — before eating.
from From Spanish 'plátano,' which English speakers reshaped into 'plantain.' The Spanish word is tangled: it likely merged with or echoed an earlier Caribbean or Carib term that Spanish explorers picked up, while also brushing against Latin 'platanus' (the plane tree) — a coincidence of sound more than meaning. Confusingly, English uses the very same word 'plantain' for an unrelated lawn weed (from Latin 'plantago'); the two share a spelling but not a family tree.
- raw verdict
- Starchy and bitter until cooked, unlike its sweet cousin
- global staple
- Feeds millions across Africa, Caribbean, and Latin America
- ripeness range
- Eaten green, yellow, or fully black
- twice fried
- Tostones get smashed and fried a second time
- name confusion
- Shares its name with an unrelated medicinal weed
matoke — ugandan staple dish of steamed plantains, consumed daily by millions in east africa
tostones — twice-fried plantain discs, iconic in puerto rico and dominican republic cuisine
plantain chips — crispy snack made from sliced fried plantains, especially popular in west africa and caribbean
mofongo — puerto rican dish of mashed fried plantains with garlic, served in restaurants across san juan