Tostones

Tostones are a famous side dish in many Latin American countries, but its country of origin is unknown. This recipe originated from the Dominican Republic. The name Tostones comes from the word Tostón, which was the name of the Spanish currency used during the colonial period. In Spain, the word tostón is used as slang for money, while in gastronomy it refers to fried or toasted foods. Its origins are as early as the mid to late 19th century, and they were eaten by all social classes. As for the ingredients, plantains come from various places, but the variety used in this recipe comes from the Carribean. Olive oil comes from Greece, and salt dates as far back as 6050 B.C., used by ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians, and comes from all around the world either in the ocean or mining. This combination of ingredients shows the assimilative nature of Latin American cuisine.

Ingredients

- 2 unripe plantains

- 1/2 cup of oil

- 1 tbsp salt

Cooking Equipment

- Frying pan

- Tostonera*

- Utensils

- Cutting board

- Tongs*

*These two utensils are optional. The tostonera can be replaced with something large that will flatten the plantains, and the tongs can be replaced with another utensil to remove the tostones from the frying pan.

How to prepare Tostones

First, peel the plantains and cut into 1 inch thick slices.

In a deep frying pan, heat the oil and fry the plantains till golden.

After the first frying, flatten the plantains using a tostonera to about ¼".

Fry the plantains again until golden yellow on both sides.

Sprinkle salt on the fried plantains and serve immediately.

Bibliography

“About Tostones.” Ifood.tv, ifood.tv/south-american/tostones/about.

Andrei, Mihai. “Where Our Salt Comes from - a Dive into the Spectacular and Harsh World of Salt Extraction.” ZME Science, 19 Mar. 2015, www.zmescience.com/other/science-abc/salt-extraction/.

Gonzalez, Clara. “Tostones - Recipe & Video (Twice-Fried Plantains).” Dominican Cooking, Simple by Clara, 23 Mar. 2020, www.dominicancooking.com/301-tostones-flattened-fried-plantains.html.

“History of Olive Oil.” https://www.extravirginspain.com/history-of-olive-oil.html.

“History of Salt.” Seasalt.com, seasalt.com/history-of-salt.

“Olive Oil History and Facts.” Olio2go, 16 Sept. 2019, www.olio2go.com/History.aspx.

Ciro C, Analisa J, Edgar P, Luana R, Chloe W