Tostones

Tostones

Tostones being cooked
Alternative names	Patacones
Type	Snack
Region or state	Puerto Rico
Main ingredients	Unripe plantains, oil

Tostones (Spanish pronunciation: [tosˈtones], from the Spanish verb tostar which means "to "), are twice-fried plantain slices. They are most commonly known as tostones (in Puerto Rico, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela). They are also known as tachinos or chatinos (Cuba), fritos verdes (Dominican Republic), bananes pesées (Haiti), and patacones (Colombia, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Ecuador).

Green (unripe) plantains are peeled, sliced length-wise, diagonally, or width-wise, and then fried twice. The raw slices of plantains are fried for one to two minutes on each side until they are golden in color, and removed and patted to remove excess cooking oil. Afterwards, they are pounded flat with a hinged utensil made for the task, called a tostonera, or less conveniently with any kitchen utensil that has a large enough flat surface, for instance between two plates. The flattened plantain slices are then fried once again until they are crisp and golden brown.

Tostones are salted and eaten much like potato chips/crisps or French fries/chips. In some regions, it is customary to dip them in mojo (a garlic sauce) or ají, or in Colombia they are sometimes served with hogao sauce. In Costa Rica, they are often eaten with a paste-like dip made from black beans. In some countries, they are served topped with cheese as an appetizer, or with shrimp ceviche, pulled chicken, or avocado salad. They can also be bought prepared from supermarkets. This food is found in all varieties of Caribbean cuisine.