I have to admit, I can't pretty much tell the difference between bananas. I can tell between the usual Pisang Emas and Pisang Restali... or even the Cavendish. The latter being sold storewide in Malaysia supermarket and labelled too!
But plantain? Try pisang tanduk. That's the name in Malay which I've been told by my late grandma. The direct translation would be 'banana horn' according to Google translate, or 'horn banana' for the length of it does reminds me of the horns of a bull.
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| plantain (source: wiki) |
"Bananas" are the collective term for bananas and plantain. The major difference between both are, bananas you can eat raw meanwhile plantain you have to cook before consuming. It was totally an "ahhhhhh" moment for me when explained by my friend, Aminu. But I still think you can eat plantain straight up...maybe
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| can you see the red banana..taste just the same |
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| I don't think that is a plantain |
I haven't seen any plantain around in the market or supermarket. I think this is because, the most famous form of plantain here in Nigeria is in the shape of chips or kerepek pisang that's what we called it in Malay.
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| plantain chips..emblazoned right in the middle of the packet. Not banana, mind you. |
Ok, so far there are a lot of manufacturers out there. I've tasted a few. Some were flavoured like pepper, onion, salted and of course the original taste. All are ok, maybe need to work out on the quality of the thickness. Some were just big chunks of plantain and were not crispy enough.
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| up close and personal..the price and NAFDAC number |
I think, most of the plantain chips were sold in packets of between 70g-100g each. All sold at the same price of N100 (RM 1.80 / USD 0.50). These chips are abundant here and too easy to get. Not from the local store...but....
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| The usual sight on Falomo bridge during traffic jam. That's how I got mine... just to pass time before reaching home |
I heard that this sort of method, selling from car to car in the middle of the road was banned or maybe discouraged by the authorities; it' dangerous! Over here, they drive like they walk..swerve here and there..changing lanes as they go. But the opportunity to sell to so many people stuck in the traffic is just too good to miss. I buy quite a few. Keeping some in the glove compartment, and some munching with the children before we reach home.
NAFDAC
A side note. You might noticed the NAFDAC number as I mentioned earlier. NAFDAC stands for National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. It is a Nigerian Government agency under the MOH that is responsible to regulate and control the manufacture, exportation and importation of goods, advertisement (among others: labelling on goods), distribution and sale of drugs, food, chemicals, medical devices etc.
So, any import goods has to be registered with NAFDAC. Each SKU (stock keeping unit, this one I learn from Madam) has to be registered separately. Meaning the 1.5litre and the 0.5litre drinking water (same company, same water, only different packaging) are registered separately. To register, you need to fork out N750,000 (RM 13,500 / USD 3,700) for each product. A one time registration...I am told. They do check your product to see if it comply with your label on the product ya...
Anyway, to those men out there..braving the sun and rain to sell the plantain chips and other stuff...You guys rock!!!
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