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On your visit to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, or Cuba, at some point soon you’re likely to find on your plate one of the locals’ favorite starchy staples: cooked plátanos (plantains -- and not just these three countries, by the way, but also various other Latin lands with Caribbean coasts and/or tropical regions, such as Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Panama, etc.). Yes, they’re long, curved, and greenish or yellowish, and they do peel back to reveal white flesh inside. But, for those of you unfamiliar with Caribbean cooking, don’t necessarily expect them to taste like the bananas you’ve always enjoyed raw and occasionally cooked.

In fact, most of the ways in which plantains are used in the islands are non-sweet and akin to vegetables or potatoes. Some top examples:

Tostones: Green plantain pieces flattened and double-fried in vegetable, coconut, or olive oil are a common side dish (pictured above), sometimes dipped in a sauce such as mojo (garlic and oil); common throughout the Spanish Caribbean. 

Mangú: A fairly basic but filling plantain mash or purée in the Dominican Republic, made with butter and milk, and sometimes served with an onion sauce called escabeche. It’s actually a fairly common breakfast dish.

Mofongo: Originating in Puerto Rico and also eaten in the DR, this is also a mash but one made from tostones (see above); it can also add fried pork rinds and other ingredients, and is often served with chicken or beef broth on the side. It's also part of Cuban cuisine, whose pretty similar variation is called fufú de plátano.

Sancocho: Plantain chunks are one ingredient swimming in this very typical meat-and-veggie stew that's huge in the DR and a classic country dish in Puerto Rico.

Maduros: This is a major exception in how Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans serve plantains, because it’s served as a side dish but is sweet. It consists of small slices of ripe plantains (plátanos maduros) fried in oil until soft and partially caramelized and crispy.

¿Tienes hambre ya? (Hungry yet?)

photo: Suzanne Haley/Flickr.com