Plantain

Also known asCooking Banana · Green Banana · Musa paradisiaca · Pisang Raja

Name: Plantain, plantain banana (Musa paradisiaca). A starchy cooking banana, distinct from the sweet dessert banana though both belong to the genus Musa; sometimes called a “cooking banana” to distinguish it from fruit eaten raw.

Description

Plantains are a major group of banana varieties that serve as a staple food across much of the tropical world. Unlike the common dessert banana, plantain fruit is markedly higher in starch and is not eaten raw; it is instead cooked at every stage of ripeness, from the starchiest green fruit through to the mildly sweet, fully ripe one. Plantains are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia, and two related groups — the horn plantain and the French plantain — are now grown across India, Africa, Egypt, and tropical America. Together, plantain varieties account for roughly 85 percent of all banana cultivation worldwide.

The plant itself is a giant herb rather than a true tree, growing from an underground rhizome to a height of 3 to 10 meters, with a false “trunk” formed from tightly wrapped leaf sheaths. Its fruit, green ripening to brown-yellow, grows in bunches and is generally larger than a dessert banana. Beyond the fresh fruit, plantains are dried for storage or ground into flour, and in parts of East Africa — notably Uganda and Tanzania — they are also fermented into a traditional beer.

Main nutrition value

Per 100g, raw green plantain (the unripe, uncooked USDA baseline — in practice plantains are always eaten cooked, never raw):

Plantain's defining nutrient is starch — at 32g per 100g it makes up most of the fruit's carbohydrate, which is exactly why it is cooked rather than eaten raw. It is also a strong source of potassium and contributes useful vitamin C and vitamin B-6.

How best to be consumed

Plantains are always eaten cooked, never raw. Green, unripe plantains are the starchiest and are typically boiled, baked, or sliced and fried into savory dishes such as tostones or chips. As plantains ripen and their skin darkens toward black, their starch converts to sugar and they turn noticeably sweeter, making them suited to frying into maduros or cooking with coconut milk or sugar as a dessert-like side. They can also be dried and ground into flour for porridges or dumplings.

Overconsumption could cause…

Plantains are a dense source of starch and calories, so eating large quantities regularly can add up quickly, particularly in fried preparations that also add fat. Because most of their carbohydrate is starch, very large servings may be worth watching for anyone managing blood sugar levels. Ordinary servings as part of a balanced diet are not a concern for most people.

GroupsOther Starchy VegetablesTropical FruitsBanana family (Musaceae)Low fatLow sodiumFresh

Related foodsBreadfruitBananaDurianMamey SapoteYamCassava / Yuca

U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central — Plantains, green, raw, (FDC ID 168215), 100g portion: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168215/nutrients Encyclopaedia Britannica — Plantain: https://www.britannica.com/plant/plantain