The plantain, which is emblematic of Puerto Rico’s culture, is one of the things that Puerto Ricans first think of when they want to share their typical food with traveler-friends or acquaintances. Since the plantain (Musa genus) referred to as “plátano” in Puerto Rico or cooking banana in other countries plays different roles in this Caribbean island’s gastronomy, a wide variety of dishes are available to taste this delicious agricultural product. Though Puerto Ricans are very proud of their distinctive culinary creations made of cooked green plantain (unripe), “pinto” (plantain with yellow-and-black-spot peel) or “amarillo” (ripe plantain with yellow peel turned mostly or wholly black), there might not be enough time to lift the curtains and present all these to a traveler-friend or acquaintance during a short stay. If that were the case and you are a Puerto Rican who wants to show the plantain-cuisine stage to a traveler, a question worth asking is which Puerto Rican plantain dishes should traveler-friends or acquaintances savor prior to returning home. The answer to this question basically depends on which plantain food creations are the ones with which you identify the most as a Puerto Rican, and what are the traveler’s taste and diet preferences.

Notwithstanding that the answer to the previous question is personal and that Puerto Rican plantain dishes may be salty, sweet and salty, or sweet, and plantain cooking methods vary (e.g.: frying, boiling, stewing), we highlight four plantain culinary creations to consider as they stand out in Puerto Rico’s kitchen and show off the scrumptious flavor of fried green plantain and Puerto Rican cuisine’s salty or seasoning touch: (1) tostones (deep-fried flattened plantain slices), (2) arañitas (deep-fried plantain bundled shreds distinguished due to their spider-like appearance), (3) platanutres (deep-fried thin plantain chips), and (4) mofongo (mashed fried plantain mixed with other key ingredients). We believe that these can be in the top of the list of Puerto Ricans who want to demonstrate the magnificent flavors of Puerto Rican plantain dishes to traveler-friends or acquaintances. Tostones, arañitas and platanutres distinguish due to their crunchiness and salty plantain taste which many people love. Mofongo, a masterwork, is a must-do for travelers due to the spectacular balance of flavors of salty fried green plantain, garlic and crunchy “chicharrón volao” (Puerto Rican pork cracklings).

An entertaining and special way to share plantain cuisine with traveler-friends or acquaintances is setting up the culinary stage at a Puerto Rican home. If you are a Puerto Rican who knows the way around the kitchen, you may like organizing gatherings at your home to cook tostones, arañitas and platanutres for your traveler-friends or acquaintances to taste. Cooking these is not as time consuming as preparing other dishes made of plantain. Creating mofongo is a culinary adventure. Those Puerto Ricans who actually know how to cook a very good mofongo may indulge their traveler-guests by serving this. Some travelers may even be delighted to learn how to cook any of these food creations, and you may teach them. Either of these experiences would be memorable for everyone.

The above are just ideas on how to be an ambassador of Puerto Rico’s plantain culinary flavors and help create experiences that your traveler-friends or acquaintances will cherish.