Plantain

Although they belong to the same genus as bananas, plantains (Musa sapientum or M. paradisiaca) are different in that they need to be cooked before eating. They can be cooked in their hard green stage, in their softer yellow stage, or when the skins turn completely black and the insides get really soft. Parsis cook plantains in their ripe stage, usually frying them as an accompaniment to braised meat, under eggs, or in a sweet. The best place to look for plantains is at markets geared to Central American and Caribbean customers. Ask for maduros, ripe ones.