Here are five curious facts for you about plantains that we bet you didn’t know!
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Plantains
1. They are in the same family as bananas but you can’t eat them raw
Yep! Bananas and plantains are cousins. A yellow ripe banana looks very similar to a plantain but you can’t eat a banana raw! Sometimes people confused them due to their similarities
2. They are fruits but we use them as vegetables
Because we can’t eat them raw we use them as veggies. We have to cook them before eating them! This can be done by frying them to create our amazing plantain crisps or you can boil oven-baked or anything with them.
3. Plantains have 3 stages that you can eat them
You can leave a plantain for a long time because we eat them all the time!
- Green plantains: we make our Caribbean Sea Salt, Latin Chilli & Quimbaya Limon from this type of plantain. The interior is yellow-love you and is very firm! Hard to cut but when fried makes the signature crisps from Loro Crisps.
- Yellow plantains: our Uraba Sunshine plantains are made of yellow plantains or also ripe. It’s the middle stage of the fruit. They look very similar to a banana on the outside but with more brownish-black spots. They taste sweeter naturally as the fruit has been ripe for a couple of days.
- Black plantains: parrots love this stage of the fruit as it has the maximum sweetness! On the outside, they look very black and soft but don’t get too scared they still taste delicious
4. Plantains are stapled foods in many countries
They are stable food in West and Central Africa, the Caribbean islands, Central America, and northern, coastal parts of South America. Have you visited a country where they eat plantains? Tell us about your stories in the comment section. We’ll love to read about your traveling experiences.
5. Plantains are excellent for your body!
Plantains are high in iron, which is essential for the production of red blood cells. Plantains are packed with vitamin A, which has been directly linked to improved eye health in numerous studies. Vitamin A functions as an antioxidant in the body, working to reduce oxidative stress in the eyes
