About Plantain Bananas
Plantains are a fruits that are very similar to bananas, but are used for different culinary purposes. They are originally from Southeast Asia, but have become a staple food of Latin American countries in the Caribbean, Central, and South America.
Plantains differ from regular bananas because of their firmness and sugar content and are used both when under and over ripe in a number of different traditional recipes from around the world.
Types
There are a few different varieties of plantain bananas, which are used for different cooking purposes. Cooking plantains (Plantago major) are general-use plantains that are slightly shorter than bananas, while banana plantains (Musa paradisiaca) look exactly like an unripe banana, although they are a bit more firm with a thicker rind. Other plantain types describe the size of the fruit, such as the bocadillo plantain. This translates into "the little one."
Geography
Plantain bananas are originally from Southeast Asia, where they are still grown today in countries such as Japan and Taiwan. However, travelers have spread the crop across the world, where it has been grown in tropical climates ever since. In Africa it is grown in Nigeria, Egypt, and Cameroon. In South America, which has some of the most popular sweet and fried plantain dishes, the fruit is grown in Bolivia, Columbia, Brazil, and Ecuador, just to name a few countries.
Function
The plantain fruit is used as a food source. While ripe plantains can be eaten raw, these fruits are usually cooked in some way and can be done so while in any stage of ripeness. Popular Latin American side dishes are composed of double-fried plantains (tostones) and sweet-cooked plantains. Other recipes that have plantains are stews, sautéed beef or chicken recipes and soups. Plantains can even be used to create a unique and flavorful alcoholic drink.
Features
Plantain bananas are very firm in comparison to the traditional banana. Not only is the flesh of the fruit firmer, but so is the rind, which is also a bit thicker. Just like bananas, they are high in potassium, which makes them particularly healthy especially when eaten raw.
Different from bananas, however, is the sugar content of the plantain, which is significantly less. This is not to say it has no sugar, though, because ripe plantains can be quite sweet.
One medium plantain, which is the common serving of the fruit, contains 220 calories, which is roughly the same as a banana of the same size, if not slightly less. It also contains 57 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of sugar, which is significantly more than bananas. Certain types of more bland plantains, the ones not used for cooking, may contain less sugar than a common banana.
Misconceptions
While most people only consider the fruit of the plantain plant to be the only functional, part, but this is not true. There are two other parts of the plantain plant that are used as well, the flower and leaf. The young male flowers are used in salads in Vietnam, which is a popular dish in the country. It is considered highly nutritious and in Laos it is eaten in soup. Plantain leaves, which are large and wide are used as plates in some countries, such as Venezuela and South India.
Tags: countries such, from Southeast, from Southeast Asia, Latin American, originally from, originally from Southeast