Plantains (cooking bananas) are a staple in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and parts of Asia. They look like bananas but are slightly larger and have angular faceted sides. Originally from Southeast Asia, plantains are higher in potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C than bananas. Some varieties reach lengths of two feet and are as thick as a man's arm. [Source: Amanda Hesser, New York Times, July 29, 1998]
Harvested when green and firm, plantains have a starchy interior similar to that of a potato. They are not pealed down like bananas. The peals are best removed by prying and pulling across after slits have been made on the vertical ridges. A typical dish in Africa and Latin America is chicken with plantains.
Plantains are prepared hundreds of different ways that often indigenous to a specific country or area. They can be boiled or baked but mostly they are sliced and fried as fritters or chips. Plantains that have yellowed are sweeter. These one or boiled, mashed, sauteed or baked. Fully ripened plantains are black and shriveled. They are usually made into mash.