Can plantain be eaten like a banana?
                                
                                
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                                    4 min read                                
                            
                                While plantains and bananas belong to the same genus (Musa), plantains are botanically and culinarily distinct from the sweet dessert bananas typically eaten raw. This fundamental difference in their composition means that treating a raw plantain like a banana is a mistake that will lead to an unpleasant, starchy experience rather than a sweet snack.