FRUIT AND VEGETABLES: TROPICAL FRUIT
Diagram
Sweet eating fruit, or starchy cooking fruit
Banana
Sweet eating fruit. Soft, yellow, eaten raw when ripe, with sugar that rises as starch turns to sugar in ripening.
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Plantain
Starchy cooking fruit. Larger and more angular, eaten cooked, with much starch and little sugar until it is very ripe.
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The key point
Both are the same kind of fruit, but one is bred and used for eating raw, and the other for cooking.
Figure 1: Banana is a sweet fruit eaten raw; plantain is a starchy fruit eaten cooked. Drawn in our own style from Robinson and Galan Sauco, Bananas and Plantains, chapter 15 on ripening biochemistry and uses.
Introduction
Banana and plantain look like the same fruit, but they are used in different ways. A banana is a sweet eating fruit: it is soft and yellow when ripe, and it is eaten raw. A plantain is a starchy cooking fruit: it is larger and more angular, it is firm and starchy, and it is eaten cooked, as a vegetable, not as a dessert fruit. Both are the fruit of the same kind of plant, but one is bred for sweetness and the other for starch.
Robinson and Galan Sauco cover bananas and plantains together, with a chapter on ripening biochemistry and uses. This article follows that book.
Quick comparison
Table 1: Banana compared with plantain
| Aspect | Banana | Plantain |
|---|---|---|
| Use | Eaten raw as a fruit | Eaten cooked as a starchy food |
| Taste when ripe | Sweet, soft and fragrant | Mild and starchy when cooked, sweet only when very ripe |
| Starch and sugar | Starch turns to sugar as it ripens, so a ripe banana is sweet | Much starch, little sugar until very ripe, so it needs cooking |
| Size and shape | Smaller, curved, smooth | Larger, longer, more angular with ridges |
| Peel | Thin, yellow when ripe, peels easily | Thicker, green to yellow to black, harder to peel |
| Flesh | Soft and creamy when ripe | Firm and starchy, even when ripe |
| Eaten raw | Yes, when ripe | No, it is hard and starchy raw, and is cooked first |
| Cooking | Rarely cooked, except in some dishes | Fried, boiled, roasted or baked as a staple food |
| Ripening | Ripens after picking, with starch turning to sugar | Ripens after picking, but stays starchy until very ripe |
| Where eaten | Everywhere, as a snack and dessert fruit | Tropics and subtropics, as a staple food, and in diaspora cooking |
Scientific explanation
Definition
A banana is the sweet fruit of the banana plant, eaten raw when ripe, after its starch has turned to sugar in ripening. A plantain is the starchy fruit of the plantain, a close kind of the same plant, eaten cooked as a starchy food, because it stays firm and starchy until it is very ripe. Robinson and Galan Sauco treat the two together, and their chapter on ripening biochemistry and uses is the source for this article.
Working principle
As a banana ripens, its starch is broken down into sugars, so the flesh softens, sweetens and becomes fragrant, and the peel turns from green to yellow. That is the ripening biochemistry Robinson and Galan Sauco describe. A plantain ripens in the same way, but it starts with much more starch and less sugar, and it stays firm and starchy, so it is not pleasant raw. Cooking breaks down the starch and softens the flesh, so the plantain becomes edible, and when it is very ripe and black, cooking makes it sweet as well.
Apparatus
The books used here name no laboratory apparatus for telling the two apart, so no apparatus list is given.
Measurement procedure
The books used here name no single standard laboratory procedure for telling a banana from a plantain. The distinction is made from the form and the use: a small, sweet, soft fruit eaten raw is a banana, and a large, angular, starchy fruit eaten cooked is a plantain. The books give no worked food example with numbers for this comparison, so none is given.
Factors affecting readings
Ripeness changes both fruits: a green banana is starchy and a black plantain is sweet. Variety changes size, shape and starch content. Cooking method changes the texture of plantain: frying gives a crisp outside, boiling gives a soft inside.
Formulas and calculations
The books used here give no formula for this comparison, so no formula or worked calculation is given.
Industrial applications
- Banana is eaten raw as a snack, in desserts, and in smoothies.
- Plantain is fried, boiled or roasted as a staple food in tropical cooking.
- Banana is used in baking, where its sweetness and softness suit cakes and breads.
- Plantain is used in chips, where its firmness suits frying.
- Both are used in their regions as a source of energy from starch and sugar.
Advantages and limitations
- Banana: advantage: sweet, soft and ready to eat raw, with no cooking needed. Limitation: bruises easily and ripens fast, so it must be eaten quickly.
- Plantain: advantage: a firm, starchy staple that cooks well and keeps its shape. Limitation: hard and starchy raw, so it must be cooked before eating.
- Banana: advantage: ripens after picking, so it can be shipped green and ripened near the market. Limitation: a ripe banana is soft and short lived.
FAQ
Can plantain be eaten raw?
No. It is hard and starchy raw, and it is cooked first, as a vegetable.
Is a plantain just a big banana?
No. It is a close kind of the same plant, but it is bred for starch and cooking, while banana is bred for sweetness and eating raw.
Why does a banana get sweeter as it ripens?
Its starch turns to sugar in ripening, as Robinson and Galan Sauco describe in their ripening biochemistry chapter.
Can banana be cooked?
Yes, in some dishes, but it is mainly eaten raw, while plantain is mainly cooked.
