Christmas in Puerto Rico: Plantains!
I'm not sure if the bananas in this truck are plantains but they look about the right size. Plantains are called
platanos in Spanish but when I lived in San Diego, California, I often saw them on the shelves at the now defunct Alpha Beta grocery store under the name of "macho bananas". ( I wonder what that referred too?)
During the holiday season in Puerto Rico, which starts just before Thanksgiving Day, these large green bananas are in high demand principally because the favorite holiday dish features a mashed banana paste (
masa). I usually order mine from Dona Christina because she makes them without meat upon request. If I ever motivate myself enough, I will adapt a version of the following recipe(please follow the link for exact directions).
"Pasteles are Puerto Rican special occasion food.
The whole family usually gets together assembly-line-style to make large
numbers of these starchy parcels and get them ready for the boiling
pot. No Boricuan Christmas is complete without pasteles."
If you prefer, you can watch this YouTube video on how to make pasteles. It shows an adapted recipe that is made by a Puerto Rican woman in the United States.
Feliz Navidad to all!
