Well, not really. And I can happily report that it is lush, beguiling and filled with culinary tradition and excitement. Thankfully, you do not have to own a farm in Africa to prepare an African-style meal. Most ingredients are available at well-stocked supermarkets. The African table typically offers plantains as a starch.
Plantains look like huge bananas hooked on steroids.
Anyway, when plantains are green and unripe, they have a chalky texture and flavor resembling a potato. As plantains ripen, they turn yellowish with patches of black. This is okay. Well-ripened plantains are sweet and quite tasty. It's a legume.