Food Profile - Plantains

Just Ripe Plantains

Plantains belong to the same family as bananas. They are eaten and loved for their sugary taste especially when fully ripe. They are an excellent source of minerals and slow release energy.



Uses:
Plantains are processed in different ways depending on their stage of ripeness. Very ripe plantains are fried as dodo, or kelewele (as it is known in Ghana).

Just ripe plantains can also be boiled, baked and served with other vegetable dishes in particular bean and leafy vegetables.

When roasted, plantain is referred to as (boli), a popular street food eaten with roasted peanuts or can be served with peanut butter.

 Unripe plantains are also used to make a snack similar to crisps, known as ipekere. Just ripe plantains are also thinly sliced and fried to make plantain crisps.

 Matured and unripe plantains can also be dried and milled into plantain flour (elubo-ogede) to make amala A popular staple dish among the Yorubas.

Nutritional Data for Plantains (based on 1 medium plantain - 178g):
Calories: 241(kcal)
Protein: 2(g)
Dietary Fibre: 4(g)
Carbohydrates: 53(g)
Fat: 1 (g)
Vitamins: A, B6 C
Minerals: Potassium

Note: Plantains have a low glycaemic index, meaning they release their energy slowly. However, this may gradually increase as they ripen due to an increase in natural sugars.