The term "plantain" is loosely applied to any banana cultivar that is usually cooked before it is eaten. However, there is no botanical distinction between bananas and plantains. Cooking is also a matter of custom, rather than necessity, for many bananas. Ripe plantains can be eaten raw, since their starches are converted to sugars in the ripening process. In countries where only a few cultivars of banana are consumed, there may be a clear distinction between plantains and bananas; in countries where many cultivars are consumed, there is no distinction in the common names used.