What is the difference between green bananas and plantains

There are several different varieties of banana-like fruits, which are all part of the same family, but taste very different from each other. Plantains are a fruit , consumed as a vegetable and are a good source of Potassium as well as Vitamin A. Plantains can be grown year-round which makes them a valuable, reliable food source in countries across the globe from Central and South America to the Caribbean, India, Africa and Asia. Plantains can be cooked at any stage of ripeness — from green, to yellow or black — to create a variety of dishes from appetizers to desserts.

Plantains taste different at each stage of development, though the interior color of the fruit will remain creamy, yellowish or lightly pink. When the peel is green to yellow, the flavor of the plantain is bland and has a starchy texture. They're commonly used in Latin , African , and Caribbean cuisine. When it comes to cooking, they're treated more like a vegetable than a fruit, often being used in savory dishes. Like bananas, plantains are high in complex carbs, but most of the carbs come from starch, unlike bananas, which have more carbs from sugar.

Plantains are nutrient rich, but preparation plays a larger role in their overall health benefits. So, these look-alike fruits are easy to get confused, but you'll be able to tell them apart once you take a bite. A plantain is a type of banana that's larger in size and has a starchier consistency, which is why it's not often consumed raw. Although the health benefits of bananas and plantains are largely the same, the ways that they are prepared are not. Recipe creator Donna says, "Fried plantains are a traditional treat in many parts of the world.

Try them once and you'll be hooked. Overly ripe plantains work best for this recipe. Puerto Rican Tostones Fried Plantains. This dish is made using green plantains for a more savory side. Reviewer jennmiami says, "Just returned from Puerto Rico where we stayed in the mountains and my children discovered their love for tostones--these are exactly right!

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Well, if you eat a traditional Latin American diet, you likely see a banana in a whole different light. There are several different varieties of banana-like foods, which are all part of the same family, but taste very different from each other.

Plantains typically are cooked before eaten, and are starchier and lower in sugar than bananas. They are often utilized in a meal just as one would a starchy vegetable potatoes, for example. Ripe plantains are blackish in color and, just like yellow and green bananas, taste different at every stage of the ripening process.

Green bananas — which can be thought of as in between yellow bananas and plantains — are also used in food preparation as starchy vegetables. When deciding if you want a yellow banana, a green banana and a plantain, remember this: they all taste different and have special uses. A typical banana breakfast in the Dominican Republic would be a dish called mangu : boiled plantain mashed with butter and served with sauteed onions oil and all , along with a side serving of fried cheese deep fried queso de freir , fried salami and a fried egg.