I definitely fell in love with plantains, and I have eaten so many already!
Plantains can be eaten when they are either unripe or extremely ripe. When they are unripe and still green, they are called verdes (verde is the Spanish word for green). Verdes do not taste good eaten raw, so they are prepared by being steamed, boiled, or fried and served with a dish. The riper and darker the plantain gets over time, the sweeter it gets as well. When plantains are very dark yellow or brown, they are sweet enough to eat raw. At this point they are called maduros.
Ecuador is the world's biggest exporter of the banana and fruits in the banana family, such as the plantain. These fruits are grown all over the country, so they are very cheap and easily accessible to the people who live here. It is common to see farmers selling plantains that they have grown either in markets or at vendor stands.
