PLANTAIN

or Cooking Banana, a fruit of the same genus as the banana, and of the same general style—but larger (up to a foot, or considerably more, in length and a diameter of two to three or more inches), coarser, le sweet, and le agreeable in flavor when raw—which serves as a valuable food staple in various tropical countries, to a considerable extent taking the place of the grains and root vegetables of other latitudes. It is generally cut while still green and firm, and roasted, boiled, or baked, either whole or in slices, resembling then the potato in texture and heing decidedly pleasing to the palate. It is also dried and ground into a rieh, creany meal which ix used for making bread, cakes, and puddings, and for thickening soups, ete.