Monkey
falls to earth
The plantain is a large-fruited, starchy variety of banana and
is the only fruit that can be used at all stages of ripeness,
(green, yellow and black). It has distinct and delicious flavor
at all states but unlike other fruit, it is not eaten raw but is treated
more like a vegetable and served fried, baked, mashed, saut?ed,
stuffed, or even microwaved. Because the versatile plaintain is
usable at all stages of ripeness, it has almost no waste.

 

The word banana is African, a word carried to the New World
by Portuguese slave traders. The origin of the fruit "banana" has
long been lost through its historic travels. It most likely was one
of the first fruits ever cultivated by man having been entered into
recorded history long before the birth of Christ. The banana
entered the Koran as the Tree of Paradise supposedly under the
name "Musa Paradisica" that is applied to the plantains of today.
( N.W. Simmonds, BANANAS )