The scientific name Musa paradisiaca and the common names banana, plantain, cambur, topocho, maduro and guineo refer to a large number of herbaceous plants of the genus Musa, both hybrids obtained horticulturally from the wild species Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana and genetically pure cultivars of these species. he banana has a firmer structure than the banana and a lower sugar content.
The plantain can be eaten green or ripe. The inside of the fruit is creamy, light yellow or pink. When the skin is green or semi-yellow, the taste of the pulp is tasteless and the texture is starchy. As the skin turns brown or black, it tastes sweeter and more like bananas, although it maintains a firm texture if cooked.
The plantain has been used since ancient times in a wide variety of dishes. It is used as a food similar to potatoes. The plantain is consumed mostly cooked when it is still green. They are cooked boiled, fried, steamed or in other processing formulas such as chips (patacones, chifles, tostones).
Plantain, major group of banana varieties (genus Musa) that are staple foods in many tropical areas. The edible fruit of plantain bananas has more starch than the common dessert banana and is not eaten raw. Because plantains have the most starch before they ripen, they are usually cooked green, either boiled or fried, in savory dishes. The ripe fruits are mildly sweet and are often cooked with coconut juice or sugar as a flavouring. Plantains may also be dried for later use in cooking or ground for use as a meal, which can be further refined to a flour.Plantain is also a common name for unrelated plants of the genus Plantago (family Plantaginaceae).
The plantain plant is a gigantic herb that springs from an underground stem, or rhizome. Most varieties are 3–10 metres (10–33 feet) tall and have a conical false “trunk” formed by the leaf sheaths of long spirally arranged leaves. The fruit, which is green to brown-yellow, is typically larger than the common banana and is borne in bunches.
Plantains are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia. Two groups of plantains are thought to have a common origin: the horn plantain and the French plantain. Both types grow in India, Africa, Egypt, and tropical America. The French plantains also occur in Indonesia and the islands of the Pacific. In some parts of East Africa the plantain is an important beer-making crop, notably in central and eastern Uganda and Tanzania. Globally, plantains account for about 85 percent of all banana cultivation worldwide.
