Ask any Puerto Rican what their five favorite foods are, and we’re willing to bet at least two involve plantains. The plantain, the larger, tougher cousin of the softer, sweeter banana, cannot be eaten raw. However, when you cook it (and depending on how you cook it), you’ll discover a versatile ingredient that is incorporated into some of Puerto Rico’s most beloved and popular dishes. Green plantains have a starchy, bland quality to them (until you season them, of course), while ripe plantains are sweeter. You’d need to go out of your way to leave Puerto Rico without sampling the ubiquitous plantain, and honestly, we don’t recommend you do that. Instead, try one of these delicious dishes, all made with the tastyplatano.