Leche con Platanos

On my first day at Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Santiago, Chile, I attended an orientation breakfast with the other extranjeros (exchange students) in my program. There was a thick, white-ish, frothy drink at each place setting. Not knowing what it was, I brought it to my lips and indulged in one of the simplest yet most nourishing drinks I had ever tasted. I learned the name of the drink, leche con platanos, and that it was simply that: milk with bananas, blended with a little sugar.

The following weekend, I traveled to the beach with my host sister Loreto, her pololo (boyfriend) Luis, and my fellow study abroad friend Ali. On our first full day on the coast, Loreto and Luis took an early bike ride. Ali and I slept in, and upon waking up, decided to explore the town. Determined to get to the ocean, we walked from our condo up in the hills down to water level. After dipping our feet in the water, we realized how hungry we were. Although it wasn't a hot day, the sun was blazing, and we were parched. The only thing Ali could think about was a smoothie. Unfortunately, we did not know the Spanish word for smoothie, and so we walked around town for at least 30 minutes asking where we could find "la bebida con hielo y fruta" [insert blender noise and mixing hand motions]. As expected, we were only met with blank stares.



All of a sudden I remembered the glory of the leche con platanos, and we set off in search of one. After walking at least two miles, we stumbled upon a glorious little bakery. To Ali's dismay, they did not have smoothies, but I convinced her to try the Leche con Platanos.

We sat through another long wait, and finally saw our drinks floating towards us atop a fine tray. The foamy, smooth and richly creamy yellowish liquid soothed both our appetites and our taste buds. The tang of the banana was balanced wonderfully by the subtle creaminess of the milk, and sweetened to perfection with a dash of sugar.



A year and a half later, I found myself craving the drink that I came to love so much in Chile. While home for Easter, I made some for my dad, my brother, my mom and myself. I improvised this version, and the flexibility of the flavors in a banana allow plenty of room for creativity and innovation. Here is the latest version:

Leche con Platanos (y Piña)
One and a half ripe (or overripe) bananas
A couple slices of pineapple
2ish cups of milk (I prefer whole, unpasteurized, local cow milk, but whatever you have will work!)
One tablespoon of honey (I use raw honey-richer and healthier)

Blend all ingredients together to desired consistency. Adjust for personal taste. Enjoy this filling, refreshing, sweet, and tangy treat as breakfast, a dessert, or midday snack.