What Is Plantain Flour? Uses, Names and Where to Buy It

For West Africans in Britain, plantain flour is a wholesome, comforting taste of home. It is the flour that makes a plantain swallow, the smooth mound eaten by hand with a rich soup, the everyday staple of family meals, the taste that says home cooking. Making a swallow from plantain flour far from home brings back family kitchens and shared bowls of soup and the beloved staples of home, the warmth of home in every soft, starchy mouthful.

There is real heart in it too, in a flour made from a treasured staple fruit and now valued for wholesome eating as well as tradition. It reflects a whole culture of resourceful, nourishing, communal food, and to make a swallow or a bake from plantain flour is to keep that alive. Cooking it for family who grew up on it, or showing a friend a wholesome plantain swallow, is a small act of welcome. That soft, comforting taste of home is the gift of plantain flour.

What is plantain flour?

Plantain flour is a fine flour made from unripe green plantains, which are peeled, sliced, dried and ground into a pale powder. The key thing to know is that it is made from unripe, not ripe, plantain, so it is starchy rather than sweet, more like a savoury staple flour than a sweet one. This makes it a wholesome, filling flour used both in traditional West African cooking and, increasingly, in health-minded baking, and it is naturally gluten-free, as plantain contains no gluten.

In West African kitchens, plantain flour is best known as a way to make a swallow, the soft mound eaten by hand with soup, and a plantain version of amala, which is often associated with yam flour, can be made from it. Beyond swallow, plantain flour is used in gluten-free and lower-sugar baking and cooking. Plantain flour is made from the fruit we cover in our guide to plantain, it makes a swallow like amala, and it sits alongside instant fufu flour as a quick way to a staple.

How is plantain flour used?

Plantain flour's traditional use is making a swallow. Much like other swallow flours, it is stirred into hot water and cooked, with steady stirring, for a few minutes until it comes together into a smooth, soft mound, sometimes called plantain amala, which is then eaten by hand with a rich soup or stew. The result is a wholesome, starchy swallow with the gentle flavour of green plantain. As with all swallows, it should be cooked properly so there is no raw taste, and the exact method can follow the pack.

Plantain flour is also valued in baking and general cooking as a gluten-free, grain-free flour. It is used in breads, pancakes, muffins and other bakes, on its own or blended with other flours, and because it is made from unripe plantain it is starchy and lower in sugar than flour from ripe plantain, which is why some people choose it as part of a lower-sugar or wholesome way of eating. It can also be added to smoothies and porridges. This is general food information rather than dietary or medical advice. Wholesome, starchy and gluten-free, plantain flour is a versatile staple.

Plantain flour in west african food culture

Plantain flour holds a valued place in West African food culture, both as a traditional swallow flour and as a wholesome, health-minded choice. Plantain itself is a beloved staple across the region, eaten fried, boiled, roasted and more, and turning unripe plantain into flour is a way to preserve it and to make a nourishing swallow. A plantain swallow is a comforting, everyday food, eaten by hand with soup, and it is part of the rich tradition of swallows that are central to West African meals.

In recent years, plantain flour has also become popular with people watching their sugar or avoiding gluten and grains, both in West Africa and abroad, which has given this traditional flour a modern following. Every cook has their way with a plantain swallow or bake, but the wholesome, starchy character of green plantain is always at its heart. For West Africans abroad, plantain flour is a familiar taste of home, and for others it is a useful gluten-free flour to discover. This article is general food and cultural information. Wholesome and versatile, plantain flour is a treasured staple.

Where to buy plantain flour in the UK

Buying plantain flour in Britain is easy through African and Caribbean food shops, which stock it in bags, sometimes labelled plantain flour or unripe plantain flour, ready to make a swallow or to bake with. These shops know it well and can point you to a good brand. Because plantain flour has become popular as a gluten-free, lower-sugar flour, health shops and some larger supermarkets and online shops now carry it too, so it is easier than ever to find.

If you want plantain flour, an African or Caribbean food shop is the natural place to find a good bag at a fair price, along with the soups to eat your swallow with. You can find African food stores near you or look up Caribbean food stores near you, where plantain flour is a familiar staple. Wholesome, starchy and gluten-free, plantain flour brings a taste of home and a handy flour to your kitchen.