Chiquita Plantain Bananas
Plantains are a grill’s best friend
Bye-bye boring B-B-Q side dishes. Serve up surprising flavor with sweet and savory
plantain recipes.
An average plantain banana has about
220 calories and is a good source of
potassium and dietary fiber. Be aware
that the juice from peeling a plantain
can stain your hands or clothes and
is difficult to remove.
Although they may be new to you, plantains have long been a popular fruit in the
world's tropical countries, where they're an important ingredient in many regional and national cuisines.
A starchy member of the banana family, plantains look like over-sized bananas with a
thicker skin, but unlike other bananas, plantain bananas are rarely eaten raw. They are usually
served steamed, baked, boiled or fried in sweet and savory dishes.
Plantains are available year-round. If you can't find them at your local grocery store,
ask the produce manager to stock them.
Pick the Perfect Plantain
Plantains can be eaten at any stage of ripeness when properly prepared. The degree of ripeness
will determine what cooking technique or recipe to use.
- Green fruit, or fruit that is just turning yellow is starchy like a potato and is best fried or boiled.
- As the fruit turns yellow, the starch begins to convert to sugar. The slightly sweeter, softer yellow,
or yellow and black plantain fruit is good in casseroles, stews and fritters.
- The dark black plantain is sweetest and best used for desserts. At this stage, they can also be
eaten raw. Store yellow plantains in a paper bag to ripen to black.