Walking into my tia’s kitchen, I already know what is predestined for me. All of one little whiff is what is needed for me to envision my large extended family gathered in the tiny New York City apartment in the Bronx. I hear uncontrollable laughter and singing and then I see them, the golden-brown crispy, savory, salted, flattened goodness-- Tostones. Tostones, or in English, fried plantains, are my family’s pride and joy. Tostones derives from the Spanish verb “tostar,” which directly translates to “to toast.” My tia, or in English, aunt, typically cooks and serves the tostones first for the younger generation of inpatient eaters like myself. Our relatively large group of kids usually grab at the tostones as if we were penny-pinchers. For Puerto Ricans, tostones are comparable to an American’s chips or mashed potatoes. Later, my aunt then serves everyone’s all-time favorite fried plantains again, with its true intent -- as a side-dish accompanied by her other well-made traditional Puerto Rican dishes. I had always recognized tostones as my favorite “Puerto Rican” snack, not only for their addicting taste, but because of the environment in which I always ate them--around family. But, to my surprise, everybody’s all-time favorite tostones did not originate solely from Puerto Rican culture. In fact, the origins of this dish are unclear, as Latin American and Caribbean countries all seemed to compete for tostones as their own. Despite realizing that this food is regarded as a famous side dish across several Latino and Hispanic cultures, tostones have the underlying purpose of uniting a wide variety of communities as a whole.

Contrary to how I have personally over-consumed tostones as a child, tostones are meant to be eaten as a side dish. Normally, I’d eat 4 to 6 tostones in one sitting, most likely because of my Americanization-- I treated tostones as if they were chips. However, unlike American side dishes, this Hispanic-Carribean side dish is meant to be eaten in smaller serving sizes, of two tostones per person. Because it is indeed a fried dish, Tostones are largely seen as a fatty food. Although tostones are caloric in nature, they are not as unhealthy as many assume. Tostones are made from specifically green plantains and should not be mixed up with platanos fritos (also spanish for fried plantains) -- a similarly fried yellow plantain. When cooking with the intent to produce tostones, it is essential they are cooked from the harder green plantains rather than the ripened-softer yellow plantains. Although plantains appear to be the same as bananas, these types of plantains are utilized as purely cooking bananas. Like bananas, plantains are also very nutritious, but without the banana taste. A serving of tostones yields about 231 calories with 32.3 grams being carbs, 1.4 grams being protein, and 11.5 grams being fat. Granted, these numbers seem a bit dangerous, but tostones can be perceived as a healthier alternative to french fries or potatoes because of their nutritional benefits. Tostones are rich in fiber, magnesium, and potassium, and have large amounts of vitamins A, C, and B-6. These fried plantains can taste completely different based on the ripeness of the plantain; hence the difference between tostones and platanos fritos. But, despite their differences, both styles of fried plantains are highly appreciated in various Spanish-speaking countries, since they are consumed on a regular basis.

As previously mentioned, the origins of tostones are unclear. However, it is certain they originate from a Latin American country and/or Carribean background. Throughout my life, I have referred to fried flattened plantains as tostones. However, researching their origins revealed another highly utilized name-Patacones. This Spanish term is simply another way to refer to tostones and is used in Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Peru. The name I am most familiar with, tostones, is used in Cuba, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. In the Dominican Republic, it’s important to note yet another name for the same dish, “frito verde.” Frito verde directly translates to “fried green” in English, this is used to indicate that the dish is made of a fried green plantain instead of the alternative yellow or brown one. The differences between the naming of the dish based on the region can also be associated with the different ways it is served. For my family personally, we typically eat tostones with a garlic paste-like dip. This is the traditional way, especially for Puerto Ricans, to eat tostones. But, in other cultures, tostones can be served differently. For example, in Columbia, patacones, as they call them, are served with a hogao sauce (a Columbian tomato and salsa sauce) or with shredded beef. In Costa Rica, the dish is served with a paste-like dip made from black beans. Lastly, in Guatemala, the fried plantains are always served as a side when ordering any fish or poultry. The way in which each country integrates their own respective cuisine and “twists” on the tostones is compelling. In each country, their approach in their preparation of tostones reveals their country’s well-known food customs. From a particular perspective, one could say these countries are “competing” for the title of where tostones rightfully “originate.” However, by integrating each country’s own traditional cuisines as an addition to the original fried plantain dish, they are naturally exuding the customs they are most proud of. As a result, this can be seen as a sign of respect for the common dish accompanied by additional personal preferences. In this manner, all Latin American and Carribean countries can collaboratively enjoy a familiar inexpensive dish consisting of only slight variances.

Growing up, my cousins would joke that if I learned how to make tostones that’s all I’d ever eat. Only recently did I seek out how to cook tostones for my own enjoyment. My older hispanic half-sister finally taught me how to make our highly valued tostones. However, after learning how to make the dish and then making tostones for the first time by myself, I felt as if I had missed a special ingredient. The tostones I made for myself were not as flavorful as my aunt tia’s. After recently cooking, filming, and eating tostones with my family for the purpose of the project, I realized what the secret ingredient I had been missing actually was. Although cliche, tostones to me, taste so much better when shared with family. It’s inexplicable how one single inexpensive dish most families can eat (regardless of socio-economic status) can be shared to such a fulfilling degree. I feel my idea of shared tostones correlates to the variation of ways tostones are served. Although I can make my own dish of tostones, like each country can make their own dishes of tostones, they seem to always taste better when shared across family, or on a larger scale, across a variety of cultures and communities.