Before you buy the food or get in the kitchen to cook for a tropical meal or dinner party, brush up on the ingredients that go in to many tropical foods:
Plantains. The plantain is also referred to as a "cooking banana" and is extremely popular in Latin American countries. It has a mild, almost squashlike flavor and is used very much as a potato would be in the United States — fried, boiled, mashed, stuffed, baked, pickled or grilled.
Ripen plantains in a loosely closed paper bag at room temperature. It takes six to eight days for a green plantain to fully ripen. Do not use plantains if they are squishy, moldy, hard or cracked — and don't refrigerate them unless they are at just the stage of ripeness you want to use, because the chill will stop them from ripening further.
Pineapple. Choose pineapples that are slightly soft to the touch with a full, strong color and no sign of greening. The leaves should be crisp and green with no yellow or brown tips. Overripe pineapples show their advanced state with soft or dark areas on the skin. If it's slightly under-ripe, keeping it at room temperature for several days will reduce its acidity. Jicama. This root vegetable has a thin brown crust and crunchy flesh. Its sweet, nutty flavor is good both raw and cooked. Stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator it will last about two weeks.
Kiwi. A ripe kiwi will give to gentle pressure from your thumb. To speed up the ripening process, put kiwis in a paper bag with an apple or a banana and let stand at room temperature — in one to three days they'll be ripe. A ripe kiwi will stay good for several days in your fruit bowl at room temperature or as long as four weeks in the refrigerator.