What Is a Plantain Tart? The Jamaican Pastry Explained
A plantain tart is a Jamaican sweet pastry filled with spiced ripe plantain. Here is what it is and where to buy the ingredients.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
A plantain tart is a beloved Jamaican sweet pastry, a half-moon of flaky or shortcrust pastry filled with a sweet, spiced mashed ripe plantain, sometimes tinted pink, then baked until golden. The filling is soft, sweet and fragrant with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon, and the whole thing is a favourite treat from Jamaican bakeries and home kitchens. Sweet, spiced and satisfying, the plantain tart is a much loved Caribbean pastry. Because it is made with wheat pastry, it contains gluten. In the UK the plantain and ingredients are sold by African and Caribbean food shops and supermarkets.
What to remember
- A plantain tart is a Jamaican sweet pastry filled with spiced mashed ripe plantain.
- It is a half-moon of pastry, baked until golden, with a soft, sweet, spiced filling.
- The filling is fragrant with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon, and is sometimes tinted pink.
- It is a favourite treat from Jamaican bakeries and home kitchens.
- It contains gluten from the wheat pastry; the ingredients are sold by African and Caribbean food shops and supermarkets in the UK.
For Jamaicans in Britain, the plantain tart is a sweet, nostalgic taste of home. It is the golden half-moon pastry from the bakery, the soft, spiced, sometimes pink plantain filling, the treat with a cup of tea, the sweet counterpart to a patty, the taste that says home. Baking plantain tarts far from home brings back bakery counters and family kitchens and the sweet treats of Jamaica, the warmth of home in every flaky, spiced, sweet bite.
There is real comfort in it too, in a homely pastry that turns sweet ripe plantain into a beloved treat, part of a rich island baking tradition. It reflects a whole culture of warm, sweet, hospitable baking, and to make a batch of plantain tarts is to keep that alive. Making them for family who grew up on them, or offering a friend their first golden plantain tart, is a small act of welcome. That sweet, spiced taste of home is the gift of the plantain tart.
What a Plantain Tart Actually Is
A plantain tart is a beloved sweet pastry from Jamaica, a hand-held treat of pastry folded around a sweet, spiced plantain filling. Ripe plantain is cooked and mashed, sweetened with sugar and flavoured with warm spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla, and sometimes tinted a cheerful pink, then this filling is enclosed in a round of pastry, folded into a half-moon, sealed with a crimped edge, and baked until the pastry is golden and the filling soft and fragrant. The result is a sweet, satisfying pastry with a soft, spiced centre.
Despite being called a tart, it is really more of a filled turnover or hand pie, and it is a classic of Jamaican bakeries, patty shops and home baking, sitting alongside the savoury patty as a sweet counterpart. Its sweetness comes entirely from ripe plantain and sugar, and the warm spices give it its lovely aroma. The plantain tart belongs to the world of Jamaican cooking we cover in our guide to Jamaican food, it makes sweet use of ripe plantain, and it sits among Caribbean treats like the coconut turnover.
How a Plantain Tart Is Made and Eaten
Making plantain tarts is a lovely bake. Ripe plantains are boiled or cooked and mashed, then cooked with sugar and warm spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla into a soft, thick, sweet filling, which is sometimes coloured pink with a little food colouring, a traditional touch. A pastry, often a flaky or shortcrust made with flour and butter or shortening, is rolled out and cut into rounds, a spoon of the plantain filling placed on each, and the pastry folded over into a half-moon and sealed with a fork-crimped edge, then brushed with egg or milk and baked until golden.
Plantain tarts are eaten as a sweet snack or treat, warm or cool, on their own or with a cup of tea, and they are a popular grab from bakeries and patty shops as well as a home bake. They keep well for a couple of days. Because they are made with wheat pastry they contain gluten, and often dairy and egg, which those with allergies should note. This article is general food information rather than dietary advice. Sweet, spiced and golden, the plantain tart is a treasured Jamaican pastry.
The Plantain Tart in Jamaican Food Culture
The plantain tart holds a warm, everyday place in Jamaican food culture, a beloved sweet treat from the island's rich baking tradition. It is a familiar sight in Jamaican bakeries and patty shops, the sweet pastry to enjoy after or alongside a savoury patty, and it is a favourite home bake too, made to enjoy with the family or offer to guests. Its sweetness, its spice and its cheerful, sometimes pink filling make it a comforting, nostalgic treat that many Jamaicans grew up loving.
Every baker has their own plantain tart, their pastry, their spicing, their filling more or less sweet, tinted pink or left natural, but the flaky pastry folded around a sweet, spiced plantain filling is always at its heart. For Jamaicans, the plantain tart is a nostalgic, comforting taste of home and of bakery treats, and for anyone exploring Caribbean food it is a delicious sweet pastry to try. This article is general food and cultural information, and the tart contains gluten. Sweet and comforting, the plantain tart is a treasured Jamaican classic.
Where to Buy the Ingredients in the UK
Making plantain tarts at home in Britain is easy, as the ingredients are widely available. African and Caribbean food shops sell ripe plantain, perfect for the sweet filling, along with the warm spices like nutmeg and cinnamon that flavour it, while flour, butter, sugar and eggs for the pastry are supermarket staples, and ready-made shortcrust or puff pastry can be used to save time. Nicely ripe plantain and good warm spices are really all you need to seek out for a proper plantain tart filling.
If you want to make plantain tarts, an African or Caribbean food shop can point you to ripe plantain and the spices for the filling. You can find African food stores near you or look up Caribbean food stores near you, where ripe plantain is always on the shelves. Sweet, spiced and golden, plantain tarts bring a beloved taste of Jamaican baking to your table, lovely with a cup of tea.
Frequently asked questions
What is a plantain tart?
A plantain tart is a beloved Jamaican sweet pastry, a half-moon of flaky or shortcrust pastry filled with a sweet, spiced mashed ripe plantain, sometimes tinted pink, then baked until golden. The filling is soft, sweet and fragrant with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. It is a favourite treat from Jamaican bakeries and home kitchens, and it contains gluten from the wheat pastry.
What is in a plantain tart?
A plantain tart has a filling of ripe plantain cooked and mashed with sugar and warm spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla, sometimes tinted pink, enclosed in a pastry made from flour and butter or shortening. The sweetness comes from the ripe plantain and sugar, and the spices give it its lovely aroma. It is baked until the pastry is golden.
Is a plantain tart the same as a plantain turnover?
They are essentially the same idea, a sweet pastry folded around a plantain filling. Plantain tart is the traditional Jamaican name, and though called a tart it is really a filled turnover or hand pie, folded into a half-moon. Some people use plantain turnover to describe it too. Whatever the name, it is the beloved Jamaican sweet plantain pastry.
How do you make a plantain tart?
Ripe plantains are boiled or cooked and mashed, then cooked with sugar and warm spices into a soft, sweet filling, sometimes coloured pink. Pastry is rolled out and cut into rounds, a spoon of filling placed on each, and the pastry folded into a half-moon and sealed with a crimped edge, brushed with egg or milk, and baked until golden. Ready-made pastry can be used to save time.
Where can I buy the ingredients in the UK?
Ripe plantain and warm spices like nutmeg and cinnamon are sold by African and Caribbean food shops, while flour, butter, sugar and eggs, or ready-made pastry, come from any supermarket. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks ripe plantain and the spices a plantain tart filling needs.