Introducing tropical food and tropical recipes to the world!
If versatility is a quality that I especially appreciate in human beings, it is even more so true with food ingredients. This blog will be filled with plantain-based recipes which are all mouth-watering…, but I have to admit that if I had to live on a plantain-only diet for a week, banan pese (Haiti) or Patacon (Latin America) would be my pick….
Little trick:
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I often joke around that even if knew that a plate full of alloco was a trap, I would still go ahead and eat the plantains, and then try my best to get out of the trap afterwards. In other words, alloco is the easiest way to “catch me…”
Alloco is one of the most popular dishes in Cote d’Ivoire. Tasty and versatile, the fried plantains are eaten at any time of the day and can serve as a snack, appetizer, main dish and more. …
PLANTAINS
The plantain is a member of the banana family. These fruits can either be green, yellow or almost black, according to their ripeness. When plantains are green and unripe, they have a chalky texture and flavor resembling a potato. Plantains should not be eaten raw, but once cooked, boiled, fried, baked or roasted, they have a wonderful flavor. Mostly grown small scale in compound gardens.
Plantains has up to 14 times as much vitamin A, two times as much vitamin C, and one-third more potassium than the banana. One-half cup boiled plantain slices has 2 g dietary fiber, 700 IU vitamin A , 8.4 mg vitamin C, and 358 mg potassium. (source: http://gardeningdirections.com/learn/healthy-living/183-yes-you-need-to-eat-bananas-part-4-plantain.html)
Another benefit of eating plantains is an improved mood: Bananas and plantains are both rich in serotonin, dopamine, and other natural mood-elevating neurotransmitters—natural chemicals that facilitate the transmission of impulses.
