Green plantains are unripe plantains, picked while the peel is still green and the flesh firm and starchy, before it turns yellow or black and softens with ripening. Plantains are a variety of banana (Musa spp.) that likely originated in Southeast Asia and spread to Africa and, later, the Americas, where they became a staple of Caribbean and Latin American cooking; Ecuador and Colombia are among today's major producers.
Starchy and only mildly sweet, green plantains behave more like a potato than a dessert banana: fried into tostones, boiled, mashed, or added to stews and rice dishes. Cooking softens them to a creamy texture while their sweetness stays subtle.
They pair well with roasted or grilled meats and fish, citrus and aromatic spices, and dairy like cheese or sour cream.