Tostones (, from the Spanish verb ''tostar'' which means "to

toast Toast most commonly refers to: * Toast (food), bread browned with dry heat * Toast (honor), a ritual in which a drink is taken Toast may also refer to: Places * Toast, North Carolina, a census-designated place in the United States Books * '' ...

") are twice-fried plantain slices commonly found in Latin American cuisine and Caribbean cuisine. Most commonly known as ''tostones'', Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Cuba, Florida,

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

and Venezuela, they are also known as ''tachinos'' or ''chatinos'' (Cuba), ''platano frito'' or ''frito verde'' (Dominican Republic), ''bannann peze'' (

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

), ''patacones'' (in Panama, Venezuela,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, Peru, and Ecuador) and, sometimes, ''patacón pisao'' in Colombia.

Preparation

Green (unripe) plantains are peeled, sliced length-wise, diagonally, or width-wise, and then fried twice. The raw slices of plantains are fried for one to two minutes on each side until they are golden in color, and removed and patted to remove excess

cooking oil Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It is also used in food preparation and flavoring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips, and may be called edible oil. ...

. Afterward, they are pounded flat with a hinged utensil made for the task, called a ''tostonera'', or less conveniently with any kitchen utensil that has a large enough flat surface, for instance between two plates. The flattened plantain slices are then fried once again until they are crisp and golden brown.

Serving

Tostones are salted and eaten much like potato chips/crisps or

French fries French fries (North American English), chips (British English), finger chips ( Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. Th ...

/chips. In some regions, it is customary to dip them in ''mojo'' (a

garlic sauce Garlic sauce is a sauce prepared using garlic as a primary ingredient. It is typically a pungent sauce, with the depth of garlic flavor determined by the amount of garlic used. The garlic is typically crushed or finely diced. Simple garlic sauce ...

) or ají. In

they are sometimes served with hogao sauce or topped with seasoned

shredded beef Shredded beef is a preparation of beef that features in dishes from various cuisines. Shredded beef is sometimes prepared using beef brisket and chuck roast. Pot roast is also sometimes shredded. List of shredded beef dishes * Burritos are s ...

. In

, they are often eaten with a paste-like dip made from black beans. In the Dominican Republic, they are commonly served with fresh lime wedges to squeeze over them and salt for sprinkling. In

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

on the Caribbean side, they are usually served as a side dish with fish or any type of poultry, sprinkled with a little salt. In some countries, they are served topped with

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

as an appetizer, or with

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

ceviche, pulled chicken, or avocado salad. They can also be bought prepared from supermarkets. This dish is found in all varieties of Caribbean cuisine. In Nicaragua they are typically served with fried cheese and sometimes with refried beans. In Puerto Rico they are commonly seasoned with garlic salt and eaten with

fry sauce Fry sauce is a condiment often served with French fries or tostones (twice-fried plantain slices) in many places in the world. It is usually a combination of one part tomato ketchup and two parts mayonnaise. Historically, the Argentinian salsa go ...

, mojo, or

pique verde boricua Pique verde boricua is a Puerto Rican green hot sauce. Preparation Pique verde is made from roasting ají caballero chilies, cubanelle peppers, garlic, onions, and blended with fresh parsley, cilantro, culantro, olive oil, and lime juice. This ...

. Tostones are also a staple of Latin American countries and the Caribbean, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Panama, the north coast of

, and in

, where they are often served with the traditional '' griot'' (fried pork) or

pikliz Pikliz is a condiment in Haitian cuisine of pickled cabbage, carrots, bell peppers and Scotch bonnet peppers. It is often seasoned with garlic and onion and pickled in white vinegar. The spicy dish is very commonly served on the table along ...

, a spicy slaw. They can also be found in West African cuisine, where they are referred to as plantain crisps.

Variations

Tostones made from unripe

breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of ''Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippi ...

calle
tostones de pana
are served in Puerto Rico. The same method applies. Unripe breadfruit is cut in to chunks, deep-fried, flattened, and then fried again. They are popular throughout the island and are sold frozen pre-made by Goya Foods, Mi Cosecha PR, and Titán products of Puerto Rico.

Other uses of the term

In Honduras, the term ''tostón'' may also refer to the 50-cent coin of the local currency, the lempira. This is also the case in Mexico in 50 cents of a peso. In the Dominican Republic, tostones are chunks of plantains fried once.

References

{{Banana Caribbean cuisine Central American cuisine Colombian cuisine Costa Rican cuisine Cuban cuisine Dominican Republic cuisine Ecuadorian cuisine Guatemalan cuisine Haitian cuisine Honduran cuisine Nicaraguan cuisine Panamanian cuisine Puerto Rican cuisine Venezuelan cuisine West African cuisine Snack foods Deep fried foods Plantain dishes Articles containing video clips de:Kochbanane#Verwendung

Preparation

Serving

Variations

Other uses of the term

See also

References