Semiserious Chefs

This mashed plantain dish hails from Peru. Amazonian Peru. This is a relatively important note, as different parts of Peru produce different staple foods. For instance, in the mountainous Andes regions (Sierra) you are more likely to see crop based dishes with potatoes or quinoa, and slow roasted meats, commonly guinea pig. Along the coastline, […]

This mashed green plantain breakfast (or lunch, or dinner) goes by the unique name of Mangú. One story goes that a visiting American Marine once tried the dish and announced, “Man! Good!” leading to it to forever be called such with a local accent. Another, perhaps more likely theory, states that the original name might […]

I say, “A plantain a day, keeps the Cartel at bay.” …assuming The Little Guy is getting fair trade. Colombians have had a love hate relationship with bananas. They love to eat them and have a huge sense of national pride over dishes such as Cayeye, but there has also been trouble, involving the banana, […]

This recipe hails from the Amazonian edges of Peru where hammocks and fires reign supreme. It would be no surprise then to discover a very clever way to turn very ripe plantains into a warming and energizing beverage. Okay, so it isn’t the same kind of energizing as coffee, but with plenty of carbohydrates it […]

Yes, that is a spoof off barbecue, but no, I did not make it up. It is indeed a real thing, and a really popular thing! Also known as banana-Q, it’s actually quite funny in that these simple sweet treats are not actually barbecued, but rather fried and then served on barbecue skewers. This faux […]