Hi Chiqui,

These vegetables can be found at Cuban/Spanish markets. They are hispanic tubers. You may have seen them at the supermarket, strange looking tubers! Bizarre roots, inscrutable produce arranged alongside the more common potatoes and carrots. They are Latin American vegetables and they are being added to America's melting pot with increasing fervor and frequency.

They are readily available at hispanic markets but due to the heavy influx of hispanic immirants in the last 25 years, they are more readily available at the american foodstores. For the cook, it is a new adventure, here are some descriptions to help out:

Malanga:
Also known as yautia, this gnarled, elongated, brown-skinned root looks like a carrot that's been thru the wringer! The pink, yellow, or cream-colored flesh has an aroma reminiscent of a musty celler. For me, this is an acquired taste.

Boniato:
Sweet-potato like, but harder, drier and considerably less sweet than the North American varieties. Also, known as batata, camote and Cuban sweet potato, this turnip-shaped, elongataed root has patchy reddish or purplish-brown skin. The flavor has the mealy sweetness of chestnuts.

Yucca:

Not too many North Americans have yet heard of yucca, also known as cassava and manioc. This starchy root vegetable is enjoyed from Port au-Prince to Sao Paolo. It is very popular in Miami where the vegetable has given its name to a celebrated Cuban restaurant called Yuca.

It is the root from which tapioca is made. It also yields cassava flour, which is used to make a caribbean flatbread. When boiled, yuca becomes soft and fluffy, almost like a bakead potato. Eat it slathered in mojo at CHristmas with the famous black beans and rice and roast pig!

It is a long tapered, cylindrical root, it has bone-white flesh covered with a brown bark-like skin. Its trexture is pleasingly starchy while the taste is mild and buttery. It makes a perfect foil for the vibrant flavors of garlic, cilantro and lime juice.

Calabaza:

This is a large, firm-fleshed, carrot-colored variety of the pumpkin family. Less watery than most squash, calabaza has a glorious consistency and concentrated flavor. Look for it also at West Indies stores. If unavailable, a firm Northern squash such as Hubbard or Butternut makes an acceptable substitution.

Plantains:

To the untrained eye, the plantain could easily be confused with a large green banana. Shaped like a banana and with a banana smell, it is not eaten raw but rather fried, boiled or baked where it becomes and epicurean's delight!

When green, the plantain is bland and starchy, like a yuca or potato. You can make tostones or mariquitas (chips) in this stage. As it ripens, it becomes yellow with dark spots (called Pinton) and finally all black and very sweet smelling. When yello, you can peel it, slice it in big chunks and boil it to make fu-fu with pork cracklins.
Yum!! When fully ripe, you peel it, slice on the
and fry to make maduros... It takes 6-8 days for a plantain to ripen to the black stage.

Plantains are more difficult to peel when they are green. You need a paring knife to slice off the ends and makea a lengthwise slit in the skin at each section.

Well Chiqui, you just got a short version of Cuban Vegetables 101...hope this helps!!

Happy Cooking! Gina