Plantain

Musa spp. (Musaceae family)

Origin: SE Asia

Fruiting season: year round

Height: tall herbaceous (10 – 20 ft)

Relatives: banana

The plantain is a banana cultivar but starchier and lower in sugar. Plantains are typically larger than bananas and range in color from green to yellow to dark brown depending on the level of ripeness. They are usually harvested and cooked while still green. The fruit becomes less starchy as it ripens and is used for sweeter dishes when the skin is almost black.

The plantain, as a banana cultivar, is the largest flowering herbaceous plant in the world. Its stem is made of tightly overlapping leaves. Each plant normally produces a single flower cluster known as a “heart”. The fruits develop from the plantain heart in a large hanging cluster. After fruiting, the plant dies with new offshoots emerging from its base.

There are over 1000 different varieties of bananas and plantains that vary in color, size, texture and taste. Plantains can be boiled, steamed, fried, roasted, or dehydrated into a delicious and nutritious snack.