About Plantains

Overview

Plantain is a green to yellow boat shaped fruit (shade of color depends on stage of ripening) of a large shrub called Musa paradisiacal.  It is a close relative of banana, looks like banana, but bigger, longer, has thicker skin and often needs to be cooked before eaten.

When not yet ripe, it is hard, and contains loads of starch. Its skin remains green, and has a neutral taste. If kept at room temperature for about a week, it gradually goes through different phase of ripeness.

When the skin is light yellow, it is half-ripe, and assumes a sweet taste if eaten at this stage. If left for a couple more days, it would become very ripe, with the skin becoming black, and the fruit soft. The starch here would have changed into sucrose.

This nutritious fruit can be eaten boiled whether green, yellow or black. When still green and fried, it is called plantain chips (tostones). If yellow or black and gets fried, it is referred to as banana chips or in Nigeria, as Dodo.

It can be mashed and used to thicken soup, or even eaten like mash potatoes, a traditional Dominican dish, mangu.

When allowed to ferment, it is a source of alcoholic drink. 

Plantain History

At about 327 B.C. Alexander the Great during his world conquest came in contact with this fruit and introduced it into Europe. Plantain found its way into Madagascar from Malaysia and India through trading Asian merchants and by Arabs during the Trans-Saharan trade boom.

Plantain and banana trade along with yam and other food crops became a very important factor in the wealth, prosperity and rapid expansion of the Bantu Kingdom of Central and Southern Africa around 1500 AD.

To date, plantain is still a major and popular staple meal across Uganda and the rest of the former Bantu region.

The history of the banana and plantain in the Caribbean has also been traced to the Portuguese explorer Franciscan Monk, who introduced it to the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo in 1516, after having himself come in contact with this fruit in the Canary island, brought there by his compatriots about a hundred years earlier.

Plantains grow best in areas with constant warm temperatures and protection from strong winds. They have been grown in scattered locations throughout Florida since the 16th century. Because of the occasional freezes, Florida is considered a marginal area for plantain production. They are available year round in the supermarket.

Nutritional Information

Believe it or not, plantain is one of the healthiest foods in the world in terms of its nutritional value. The nutritional value of plantain is even greater than that of its closest relation banana. When cooked, the fruit is extremely low in fat, high in fiber and starch. It is very low in cholesterol and salt too.

A typical average size plantain fruit after cooking contains 50 – 80grams of carbohydrate, 2 – 3 grams of protein, 4 - 6 grams of fiber and about 0.01 to 0.3grams of fat.

It is very rich in potassium, and it is commonly prescribed by doctors for people who have low level of potassium in their blood. The potassium in plantain is very good for the heart and helps to prevent hypertension and heart attack.

It is also rich in magnesium and phosphate.

It is a good source of vitamins A, B6, and C, which helps maintain vision, good skin, and build immunity against diseases. Cooked unripe plantain is very good for diabetics, as it contains complex carbohydrate that is slowly released over time.