Date post: | 11-Apr-2017 |
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Self Improvement |
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Plantains
Plantains can be cook in
many different forms Google
Plantains are a member of the banana family. They are a starchy, low in sugar variety that is cooked before serving as it is unsuitable raw. It is used in many savory dishes somewhat like a potato would be used and is very popular in Western Africa and the Caribbean countries. It is usually fried or baked.
GoogleThe plantain averages about 65% moisture content and the banana averages about 83% moisture content
google images
Facts
The long and tortuous history of plantain can be traced to as early as 500
B.C. It is of South East Asian origin, mostly in Malaysia and the now Indonesia. This now
popular African food item was introduced into India
by traders
Plantain History
The history of banana and plantain in the Caribbean has also been traced to
the activities of the Portuguese Franciscan
Monk who introduced it to the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo in the 1516, having himself
come in contact with this fruit in the Canary island,
brought there by his compatriots about a
hundred years earlier.
Why I picked plantains One of the reasons I picked plantains is because as a little kid this was my favorite food growing up in Dominican Republic although I was born in New York. My favorite form of plantains is called mangu which is smashed plantains like shown in the picture to the left
Plantains can be prepared at any stage of ripeness. Make sure to pick a recipe appropriate for the fruit you have on hand. The plantain is normally eaten as a starchy staple food. It can be boiled, baked, or fried and served as a vegetable or made into a sweet dessert, depending on the degree of ripeness of the fruit. Green: When the plantain is green it is quite starchy and the flavor is much like a potato. The green fruit can be fried or boiled. Yellow: When the plantains yellow the sugars begin to develop and impart a slight sweetness to the fruit. At this stage the fruit may show a few freckles of black. Black: The plantain is at it's sweetest once it turns black. Normally you would want to use black plantains for dessert or any recipe where a sweet taste is desirable. You may purchase yellow plantains and store them in a paper bag until then ripen and turn black.