A plantain chip is a crunchy snack made from thinly sliced, seasoned plantains.
Plantains are starchy relatives of bananas and are commonly cooked rather than eaten raw. To make chips, the fruit is sliced and fried or baked, then seasoned with salt or other spices. Green plantains generally produce firmer, less sweet chips than ripe ones.
Plantain chips are eaten across Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and South Asia. In some regions they are served as a packaged snack, while in others they accompany meals, dips, or stews. Their flavor can range from savory and salty to mildly sweet depending on the ripeness of the fruit.
Plantain chips are distinct from banana chips. Bananas are usually sweeter and softer when ripe, whereas plantains contain more starch and are particularly suited to cooking. The two snacks may look similar but come from different culinary traditions and fruit varieties.