Re: plantains?
There has got to be a thread somewhere on this site clearly explaining the differences, but I will summarize.
Plantains are a very specific type of banana, it is a genetic group of bananas. All plantains are bananas, but not all bananas are plantains. Just like all Chihuahuas are dogs, but not all dogs are Chihuahuas.
The difference between a "cooking banana" and "dessert banana" are purely cultural, there is no biologic way to separate the two. There are many cultivars which are specifically called either cooking or dessert only, but it is completely relative to the context and cultural use (certain cultivars are used for certain recipes at various stages of ripeness). Some cultivars lend themselves better to certain ways of cooking in that they seem to please the most people when eaten, but any banana is edible cooked in any manner, and also raw when ripe.
Plantain bananas are normally cooked, but it is by no means necessary as stated above.
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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.
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