A plantain, sometimes referred to as a cooking banana, is something I’ve been learning a lot about lately. Mostly through no fault of my own.

See, I’m not a huge banana eater and these bigger, greener, thicker-skinned banana wanabees have been making their away into our kitchen recently. I like to call them the “ubiquitous green banana-ish starchy thing”. It’s a very descriptive name; one that I feel will catch on eventually. It’s just a matter of time.

If you’ve been to the banana section of your local grocery store and saw what looked like a weird, large, green banana mingling somewhere in close proximity to the true bananas, you’ve probably encountered what’s known as a plantain. You may have raised an eyebrow in suspicion of these cunning imposters, but make no mistake, they are certainly not bananas! Your intuition has served you well.

Plantains are classified as a fruit according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Fruits and Veggies Matter website. They are members of the banana family, but less well known unless you are in the Caribbean, Latin America or Asia. Because plantains are popular there. I guess.

Plantains are lower in sugar than bananas but have a higher starch content. This means that when they‘re ripe, they will still be green. Because of the high starch content, they aren’t often eaten raw as they have a somewhat bitter taste if not cooked. They are however full of flavor when ripe and cooked.

Yellow plantains are simply plantains that have had more time to ripen. If you purchase a plantain that has turned black, chances are it’s become overripe. They are still perfectly good to eat, but they will be a bit softer and little harder to work with.

As plantains mature, the pulp also known as the inside or the innerds of the fruit become softer, and some of the starch will have been converted to sugar, making them a bit sweeter. But they still won’t be bananas. They never will be.

Nutritionally wise, cooked plantains are quite similar to potatoes when it comes to calories. However, they do contain more of some vitamins and minerals than potatoes do. They are a great source of fiber, plus they have potassium and magnesium, as well as vitamins A, C, and B-6.

In conclusion, my wife is doing a week of plantains for the website. It’s not looking good for me. All her recipes will be featuring plantains. Can you guess what that means?

I have to say though, she is very creative and has come up with a number of great recipes, but unfortunately I’m being forced against my will to eat plantains all in the name of trying out new recipes. I don’t know what to do. I’m a big baby. That is all.