Plantain; Musa x paradisiaca is a staple food in many tropical areas. We all see plantain as a food, but scientifically it is categorised as a fruit for some reasons I don’t know. For this read we’ll be looking at some plantain by products, from the entire plant, simply all you can get from plantain.
Plantain has a bunch of nutritional benefits from the fruit to the leaves. Then as a kid, frying unripe plantain was my way to forget about the world.. lol. That’s just by the way.
Cooked plantains are nutritionally very similar to a potato; calorie wise, but contains more of certain vitamins and minerals. They’re rich source of fibre, vitamins A, C & B-6 and the minerals; magnesium and potassium. Also plantains are easily digestible, so which ever way or form you’re taking it into your system, you’re going to have a smiling stool.
Let’s go through some of the plantain by products
1. Plantain Chips
This agricultural produce can be processed into chips by simply peeling, slicing the ripe or unripe ones and frying with vegetable oil, salt is added and sometimes pepper which gives it’s unique taste. I prefer the unripe chips.
This plantain by product is very common in the western region of Africa especially in Nigeria and Ghana. If you’ve not tried it, you’re missing a phase of life.
2. Salad
Plantain leaves are completely edible and they taste a little like spinach. So you can eat them raw in salads.
Go outside your house, get a plantain leave. Slice and rinse with clean water and add to your salad.
3. Amala
Amala is a local plantain by product consumed mainly in Nigeria and other parts of the world with soup. Have never tasted this, I was going to do so with a lady, but she later didn’t show up.
It is made using unripe plantain, they are peeled, sliced, dried, grinded and the powder is mixed with hot water. It forms a soft, solid substance that can eaten with any soup
4. Plantain tea
For this one, you dry, crush and steep plantain leaf in steaming water to make a nourishing tea. This helps to reduce heartburn and indigestion.
5. Boli
This is another product that is common with West Africans especially Nigerians. It is made by roasting your peeled ripe or unripe plantain with charcoal or in your kitchen by wrapping your peeled ripe or unripe plantain with foil, in a frying pan without oil with not too high temperature, then your turn from time to time till you get your desired result.
Bole can be eaten with tomato sauce and also with groundnut.
6. Plantain Poultice
Plantain poultice will ease your physical pain from insect bites, stings as well as boils, rashes, cuts and scrapes. It is more like a herb.
To make this plantain by product, crush some fresh plantain leaf and apply the juice on the affected area. That simple.
Read also: Cattle By Products
In Conclusion
Plantain can be processed into diverse foods and raw materials for industrial purposes. Just incase you know of some that weren’t mentioned in this post, kindly drop them at the comment section.
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