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Go Bananas for These 6 Entertaining Plantain Fun Facts You Never Knew!

illustration of plantains
Peel away your assumptions and prepare to be amazed by these a-peel-ing fun facts about plantains you've likely never heard before!

1. Plantain: The Fruit that Thinks it's a Veggie

Feeling peckish? Get some a-peeling plantains: a fruit so versatile, it moonlights as a vegetable in some cultures! Commonly used as a starchy side dish or a main ingredient in savory stews and soups across many African countries, including West and Central Africa, plantains also grace Caribbean cuisine with their presence, starring in casseroles and mofongo. So, the next time you indulge in a plate of tasty fried plantains, just remember, you're secretly munching on some veggies too!
Source => slurrp.com

2. Popeye's New Power Fruit: Plantains

If Popeye swapped his spinach for plantains, he'd be swinging from the jungle gym like a potassium-charged gorilla: plantains pack a whopping 465 milligrams of potassium per fruit, leaving bananas and their 358 milligrams in the dust – it's time to find a new yellow-skinned superfood, friends!
Source => wikihow.com

3. Plantains: More than Just Monkey Business

While you may not be able to "split" your time or "peel" back the years like a certain youthful-looking primate we all know and love, plantains are more than just monkey business: they're packed with antioxidants such as polyphenols and flavonoids, as well as being a great source of vitamin C and potassium, which can support immune function and help regulate blood pressure, contributing to overall health and well-being.
Source => medicalnewstoday.com

4. Rapid Ripening Record: Plantains vs. Bananas

In a race between bananas and plantains for the ripest gold, our starchy underdog takes the lead in record time: Plantains actually ripen quicker than bananas, turning yellow and soft in just a few days, thanks to their higher starch and lower sugar content.
Source => healthline.com

Unmasking the Plantain-Banana Connection

5. Unmasking the Plantain-Banana Connection

Are you still peeling under the illusion that plantains are just oversized, unripe bananas impersonating a vegetable? Well, allow us to split the truth for you: Plantains are indeed a fruit from the Musaceae family, and although they share their family tree with bananas, they are a separate species. These green imposters bear a larger, tougher skin and are known for their starchiness, which makes them the ideal candidates for savory culinary delights rather than desserts.
Source => mrishtanna.com

6. Plantains: Infiltrating Veggie World with Mofongo

Peeling back the truth on the deceptive doppleganger of the fruit world: plantains may seem like the illegitimate child of a banana and a potato, but they're actually a sneaky variety of bananas themselves! Concealing their true identity to infiltrate the world of vegetables as a starchy ambassador, these versatile green imposters must be cooked up before you can safely indulge in their quest to bring mofongo worldwide.
Source => allrecipes.com

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