Bananas, Plantains, Rullos: What´s The Difference?
- peter47000
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Bananas (guineos) Plantains (platanos) and Rullos all look similar but are used quite differently in DR. They are a massive food source in the country and if you have a conuco (garden plot), you'll get to enjoy them.
Everyone has eaten ripe bananas, but Dominicans also eat them green and boiled, like a potato. More common for breakfast or for cena (the lighter meal in the evening). They're not as heavy as a meal of plantains or rullos.
Plantains are a powerhouse of carbs, minerals, also some protein and fiber. They are 3 to 5 times bigger than a banana and make some serious food. Green and boiled (either whole or mashed (mangu), green and deep-fried cripsy (tostones -- delicious) or ripe (maduro), sauteed in a little oil and oozing caramelized natural sugar. Dominicans don't seem to eat sweet ripe plantains like we do bananas, although I've eaten them and they are like a banana only heavier and less sweet.
Rullo seems to me like a more massive banana crossed with a plantain, it can weigh one to two pounds. People eat the green (boiled) or ripe /sweet (cooked or raw. Some fry the green rullo in slices like tostones -- delicious. Some Dominicans will say they don't eat rullos at all!
Supposedly, rullos are low-glycemic and diabetics eat them.
These plants pretty much take care of themselves. They send up shoots to make new plants, and when a plant is finished you cut it down and compost it. Chickens love any and all waste from plantains, bananas and rullos.
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