Banana Recipes
- Banana Cake
- Banana Split Pancakes
- Island Fruit Salad
- Banana Foster Chimichangas
- Banana-Pineapple Smoothie
More Tropical Fruit Varieties
Plantain Banana
Scientific Binomial Name: Musa x paradisiaca or Musa sapientum
Selection Information
Usage: Baked or fried when green - used in dessert dishes when ripe.
Selection: Also called Platano, good-quality Plantains look like over-ripe bananas with dark spots and scars, but they should be fairly firm. The best Plantain for frying is still green-skinned.
Avoid: Avoid product that has completely black skin and is soft or has spots of mold.
Seasonal Information
Available year-round from Ecuador and Mexico.
Plantain Banana Nutritional Information
|
Serving Size: 1 medium, raw banana (179g)
|
|
| Amount Per Serving |
|
|
Calories 220
|
Calories from Fat 5
|
|
|
% Daily Value* |
|
Total Fat 0.5 |
1% |
|
Sodium 5mg |
0% |
|
Potassium 890mg |
26% |
|
Total Carbohydrate 57g |
19% |
|
Dietary Fiber 4g |
16% |
|
Sugars 10g |
|
|
Protein 2g |
|
|
Vitamin A 40% |
Vitamin C 50% |
|
Calcium ** |
Iron 6% |
|
Vitamin D ** |
Vitamin E 2% |
|
Vitamin K ** |
Thiamin 6% |
|
Riboflavin 6% |
Niacin 6% |
|
Vitamin B6 25% |
Folate 10% |
|
Vitamin B12 ** |
Biotin ** |
|
Pantothenic Acid 4% |
Iodine ** |
|
Magnesium 15% |
Zinc ** |
|
Selenium 4% |
Copper 8% |
|
Manganese 6% |
Chromium ** |
|
Not a significant source of saturated fat and cholesterol. **Contains less than 2 percent of the Daily Value of these nutrients. *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. |
|
Plaintain bananas are low in fat, Sodium-free, Source of fiber and potassium, Source of vitamin C & B6, Cholesterol-free.
Banana Tips & Trivia
- Plantain bananas may look like other bananas but the resemblance ends there. Plaintains are starchy, not sweet, and are used as a vegetable in cooking rather than as a fruit.
- To ripen green bananas, put them into a plastic bag, seal it and place the bag in a warm place like on top of your refrigerator. This will cause the bananas to heat up which speeds the ripening process. You can also put other green fruit like peaches and pears into the bag with a ripe banana, and they will ripen faster as well!
- You can freeze bananas! Just peel and store in plastic bags up to 6 months.
- Thaw and drain frozen extra-ripe bananas and use in baked goods... or slice frozen into blender drinks. Have for breakfast, snack, refreshment or as a frosty ice cream-like dessert without all the extra fat or calories.
- Sauté green-tipped bananas until brown in just enough margarine or cooking spray to coat. Serve as a side dish or "starch" with chicken, pork or even fish.
- As the green color of bananas turns to yellow, the starch in the fruit turns to sugar.
- Alexander the Great discovered bananas in his conquest of India in 327 B.C.
- Bananas don't grow on trees, as is commonly believed. They grow on compacted, water-filled leaf stalks that grow up to 25 feet high. They are the world's largest herb. (Source: The Packer, 9/9/89)
How to select Plantain Bananas
Tweet