Plantain

Uses of Plantain

Plantain

Plantain are banana cultivars in the genus Musa whose fruit are generally used in cooking. They may be eaten while ripe or unripe and starchy. Some cooking bananas are also referred to as green banana or plantain.
There's no formal botanical distinction between bananas and plantains. Cooking is also a matter of custom, rather than necessity. Ripe plantain can be eaten raw, since the starches are converted to sugar as they ripen.

Plantain are major staple in West and Central Africa. They are treated as a starchy fruit with a relatively neutral flavor and soft texture when cooked. As with all bananas, part of the attractiveness of plantain as food is that they fruit all year round, making them a reliable all-season staple food. It contain more starch. Yellow plantain can be eaten raw, fried, they tend to caramelize turning a golden-brown color. They can also boiled, baked, microwaved or grilled over charcoal, either peeled or unpeeled.

*Uses of Plantain*

-As fruit
Plantain can be used for cooking at any stage of ripeness, but ripe ones can be eaten raw. As the plantain ripens,it becomes sweeter and its colour changes from green to yellow to black, just like bananas
•Green bananas are firm and starchy, and resemble potatoes in flavour
•A ripe plantain is used as food for infants at weaning mashed with a pinch of salt.

-Dried flour
They are dried and ground into flour, banana meal forms an important foodstuff
with the following constituent :Water, 10•62%, Protein 3•55%, Fat:1•15%,Carbohydrate:81•67% and ash 3•01%.
Dried plantain powder is used as baby food to feed babies until they are one year old.

-Drink
Plantain are boiled and blended with water, spices and sugar to make a drink.

-Chips
The unripe ones are sliced thin and deep fried in hot oil to produce chips.

Article by: Peace of Mind

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