Plantains pack health and flavor into a portable package.
The culinary journey of the plantain is complex. It includes travels through the trade routes of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, its introduction to Europe by Alexander the Great, and its arrival on the African continent via Trans-Saharan Arab merchants. The plant made it to the Caribbean basin — in the bellies of slave ships — where it has been adopted for users in many Latin American dishes.
Though it can’t grow locally, luckily, plantains now can be found in the Latino markets around Reno and Sparks. So if your only experience with a plátano (the fruit’s name in Spanish-speaking regions) has been limited to eating fried tostones or maduros, allow yourself to be whisked away by some more challenging recipes and delicious methods of preparation.
Not to be confused with the bananas we eat for breakfast, the larger-bodied plantain must be cooked to be eaten. Both types of fruit do only grow in tropical and subtropical climates.
The plantain is starchiest and firmest when unripe, as close as possible to green when harvested from the plant. When it begins to turn the color of a lemon, it starts to ripen, soften, and develop sugars. Before this stage, consider recipes in which you can substitute a plantain for a potato and open yourself up to a whole new savory flavor profile and texture.
For a ripe plantain, consider recipes in which you might otherwise use a sweet potato or yam. Bake it into a cake or bread. This is where the sweet plantain shines best, and it’s very child-friendly.
The plantain is a versatile fruit. You can boil, mash, bake, fry, broil, purée, and sauté it. This has inspired hundreds of sweet and savory recipes based on the food traditions of people around the world.
For example, in El Salvador, residents’ version of empanadas is boiled sweet plantains that are mashed and stuffed with a sweet curd, pinched into dumplings, then fried and rolled in sugar. In Colombia, there’s a popular sandwich called patacón, which features meat and condiments between two halves of a flattened, fried green plantain. People in the Dominican Republic love to boast about their traditional sancocho, a soup thickened with puréed green plantains, meats, and vegetables.
The plantain is rich in nutrients such as dietary fibers, minerals, vitamins, and other healthy compounds, making this crescent-shaped, global staple food a popular item on many Latin tables from as far south as Ecuador to the border of Mexico, and to Guatemala, where it’s found in mole. Make sure to visit the local mercados to start your adventure with this powerful and hearty fruit.
RESOURCES
El Super
1901 Silverada Blvd., Reno
Elsupermarkets.com/store/silverada
Marketón
1500 S. Wells Ave., Reno
Marketon.com
Toro De Oro Market
588 N. McCarran Blvd., Sparks
Find Toro De Oro Market on Facebook
