Plantain

Mofongo is a garlicky, salty green-plantain-based dish hailing from the island of Puerto Rico, though it has woven itself into the cultural fabric of the Dominican Republic and parts of Cuba as well.

No tortillas here—a dough made from plantains is filled with beans for these quesadillas.

Serve this plantain omelet at your next brunch with friends.

Depending on their level of ripeness, plantains can be savory or sweet—for this sweet plantains recipe, look for mostly black ones.

For this grilled tofu recipe, allspice, thyme, garlic, brown sugar, and Scotch bonnet peppers join together in an aromatic marinade that’s spicy and warm.

This recipe shines for its simplicity. However, in order for it to be spectacular, the quality of the three ingredients really matters.

This recipe pairs crispy fried plantains with homemade hot sauce and a cooling lime sour cream, but each is delicious all by itself.

These Dominican mashed plantains are creamy, hearty, and full of flavor, while still tasting fresh and light. They have a mellow, tropical earthiness that becomes a canvas for colorful toppings like pickled red onions and avocados.

This savory vegetarian pie gives a nod to the ever-popular Jamaican patty.

You can do the first fry ahead of time, then soak the plantains in garlic water, dry, and hold at room temperature until closer to mealtime.

Think of plantains as the sister to the banana. They’re not as sweet, as they contain less sugar. They’re also higher in starch than most fruits, making them perfect for gluten-and grain-free breads. My favorite part of this entire dish is upon serving: The moment you break the egg white just enough for the golden yolk to spill over, the starchy flatbread soaks up every last bit, leaving you with a nice balance of moisture. The egg yolk is rich and bold, with the added bonus of sprinkled salt and drizzled honey—there’s nothing like it.

This recipe warms the heart of my big sister, Omolola. She insists that she can’t make it like I can, but I reckon she just likes being pampered once in a while. Don’t we all. Yam can be a little dry on its own but this mash is silky smooth, with the coconut giving it a richness.

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico is blessed with balmy weather and clear skies. There is nothing like dining under the shade of a gourd tree on Christmas Eve, savoring every morsel of the earthy tamales called pasteles and adobo-flavored pork while looking at the sea. Puerto Rican women get together with their families to prepare pasteles by the hundred, freezing them until needed for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, family reunions, the Fiesta de Reyes, and the religious season called octavas that follows the Feast of the Epiphany. It is the blend of the tiny pepper ají dulce and broad-leaf culantro in the fragrant sofrito (cooking sauce) that gives an unmistakable Puerto Rican identity to these earthy tamales. A dash of vinegar lends the sofrito just the right amount of tang against the mild dough of malanga and plantain tinted orange-yellow with achiote-infused lard. I learned to make these in the traditional kitchen of the Puerto Rican side of my family. While one person took care of trimming the plantain leaves, others were busy grating the vegetables and making the sofrito. There the vegetables are grated by hand, though you can find machines designed specially for this purpose in any market or use a food processor. Puerto Ricans are extremely fussy about the wrapping—it has to be perfect and watertight because pasteles are normally boiled. But I prefer to steam them.

Editor's note: Chef, nutritionist, and cooking teacher Lourdes Castro shared this recipe from her cookbook, Latin Grilling. It's part of a festive Cuban party menu she created for Epicurious. Plantains, ripe or unripe, are a staple of Cuban cooking. And while everyone loves the ripe ones (maduros), no one ever wants to make them. Typically deep-fried, they are a mess to make and never seem to come out with that candylike coating you get at good restaurants. This recipe solves the problem: simply grilling very ripe plantains and basting them with a butter-sugar glaze is all it takes to re-create the good stuff. These are a must at all my family cookouts.

A staple of Puerto Rico, this fried plaintain mash can be served with a simple salad or rice and beans.

For an elegant change of pace from store-bought tortilla chips, fry thin slices of plantain at home. When slipped into hot oil, the plantains curve into beautiful, long strips. Delicately flavored and impossibly crisp, these chips are great for dipping in guacamole.

Tostones In many Latin American countries, crunchy tostones are as popular (and served as often) as french fries are here. A single bite of their salty crust and tender interior will tell you why they're so beloved.

We usually encounter only one version of Brazil's signature dish in this country — the one from Bahia, rich and almost currylike with coconut milk and dendê oil. This lighter one, from Espírito Santo, reflects that state's long coastline: Its bright broth results from the fish, tomatoes, lime juice, and vegetables, which meld beautifully. And it couldn't be easier. You simply layer the marinated seafood with the other ingredients in a cold pan and turn up the heat, simmering for just 20 minutes.