Banana chips
Encyclopedia
Banana chips are deep-fried and/or dried slices of banana
s (fruits of herbaceous plant
s of the genus
Musa
of the soft, sweet "dessert banana" variety). They can be covered with sugar
or honey
and have a sweet taste, or they can be fried in oil and spices and have a salty and/or spicy taste. Variants of banana chips may be covered with chocolate
instead. Banana chips are not to be confused with chifle
, made from firmer, starchier fruit varieties of the genus Musa commercially called plantain
s or "cooking bananas."
in sunflower oil or coconut oil, which are then dried, and to which preservatives are added. These varieties of chips can be very oily, due to the deep-frying process.
Another form of fried banana chips, usually made in Kerala
(India) and known locally as nenthra-kaaya oopperi, is fried in coconut oil
. Both ripe and unripe bananas are used for this variant. Sometimes they are coated with masala
or jaggery
to form both spicy and sweet variants. It is an integral part of the traditional Kerala meal called sadya served during weddings and traditional festivals such as Onam
.
Another kind is made by baking in an oven, although this process may not result in the same intense banana flavor.
and nut
mixes.
Other chips, such as patacones, are salt
y.
Similar chips called chifle
are made from plantain
s, the family of fruit that bananas come from. (In tropical Latin American cultures, all bananas are considered plantains, but not all plantains are bananas.)
Bananas are the small sweet fruits and plantains are the large fruits. In Kerala, under-ripe plantains are used to make salted and sweet chips. These deep-fried plantain chips are also quite popular in the southeastern part of Mexico
. Specially in the state of Tabasco
where the company Charricos produces and commercializes an assortment of sweet, salty and spicy plantain snacks.
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s (fruits of herbaceous plant
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
s of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Musa
Musa (genus)
Musa is one of three genera in the family Musaceae; it includes bananas and plantains. There are over 50 species of Musa with a broad variety of uses....
of the soft, sweet "dessert banana" variety). They can be covered with sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
or honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
and have a sweet taste, or they can be fried in oil and spices and have a salty and/or spicy taste. Variants of banana chips may be covered with chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
instead. Banana chips are not to be confused with chifle
Chifle
Chifle is a side dish, snack food, or finger food of Peru and Ecuador, consisting of fried slices of green or ripe plantain. Chifle is not to be confused with banana chips.- In Peru :...
, made from firmer, starchier fruit varieties of the genus Musa commercially called plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
s or "cooking bananas."
Fried
Usually, the chips are produced from underripe bananas, of which slices are deep-friedDeep frying
Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan; industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum fryer may be used....
in sunflower oil or coconut oil, which are then dried, and to which preservatives are added. These varieties of chips can be very oily, due to the deep-frying process.
Another form of fried banana chips, usually made in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
(India) and known locally as nenthra-kaaya oopperi, is fried in coconut oil
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm . Throughout the tropical world, it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry...
. Both ripe and unripe bananas are used for this variant. Sometimes they are coated with masala
Masala
Masala or massala is a term used in South Asian cuisines to mostly describe a mixture of spices. A masala can either be a combination of dried spices, or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients—often garlic, ginger, onions and chilli paste...
or jaggery
Jaggery
Jaggery is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal whole cane sugar consumed in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is a concentrated product of cane juice without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color...
to form both spicy and sweet variants. It is an integral part of the traditional Kerala meal called sadya served during weddings and traditional festivals such as Onam
Onam
Onam is a Hindu festival celebrated by the people of Kerala, India. The festival commemorates the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of the legendary Emperor Mahabali. It falls during the month of Chingam and lasts for ten days...
.
Dried
Some healthier varieties of banana chips can be produced using only food dehydration. Banana slices that are only dehydrated are not light brown and leathery, but rather are dark yellow and crunchy. They are very sweet and have an intense banana flavor. These are ideally made from bananas that are fully ripe.Another kind is made by baking in an oven, although this process may not result in the same intense banana flavor.
Uses and variations
The chips are often part of muesliMuesli
Muesli is a popular breakfast cereal based on uncooked rolled oats, fruit and nuts. It was developed around 1900 by Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients in his hospital...
and nut
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
mixes.
Other chips, such as patacones, are salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
y.
Similar chips called chifle
Chifle
Chifle is a side dish, snack food, or finger food of Peru and Ecuador, consisting of fried slices of green or ripe plantain. Chifle is not to be confused with banana chips.- In Peru :...
are made from plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
s, the family of fruit that bananas come from. (In tropical Latin American cultures, all bananas are considered plantains, but not all plantains are bananas.)
Bananas are the small sweet fruits and plantains are the large fruits. In Kerala, under-ripe plantains are used to make salted and sweet chips. These deep-fried plantain chips are also quite popular in the southeastern part of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Specially in the state of Tabasco
Tabasco
Tabasco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa....
where the company Charricos produces and commercializes an assortment of sweet, salty and spicy plantain snacks.
See also
- BananaBananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
- In popular culture and commerce, "banana" usually refers to soft, sweet "dessert" Musa cultivars. - ChifleChifleChifle is a side dish, snack food, or finger food of Peru and Ecuador, consisting of fried slices of green or ripe plantain. Chifle is not to be confused with banana chips.- In Peru :...
- a similar salty snack chip made from plantains. - PlantainPlantainPlantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
- Musa cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit - TostonesTostonesTostones or patacones are a popular side dish in many Latin American countries. The dish is made from sliced green plantains cut either length-wise or width-wise and are twice fried...
- a similar salty snack made from plantains.