Within the Sylheti dialect of the Bangla language, it is called mukhi. [39], Taro were carried into the Pacific Islands by Austronesian peoples from around 1300 BC, where they became a staple crop of Polynesians, along with other types of "taros", like Alocasia macrorrhizos, Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, and Cyrtosperma merkusii. Colocasia esculenta is a fast-growing herbaceous plant that originates from a large corm and can grow to 4 ft. (1.5 m) in height. Propagated by its corms. Native to eastern Asia, Colocasia esculenta, or Taro, is a tender herbaceous perennial that grows best in organically rich, wet soil and tropical climates. Lū is the Tongan word for the edible leaves of the taro plant (called talo in Tonga), as well as the traditional dish made using them. Ala was widely grown in the southern atolls of Addu Atoll, Fuvahmulah, Huvadhu Atoll, and Laamu Atoll and is considered a staple even after rice was introduced. Boiled taro is readily available in the market packaged in small cellophane bags, already peeled and diced, and eaten as a snack. The leaves are used to make laulau, from the corm poi or paʻiʻai. Taro roots can be used for medicinal purposes, particularly for treating insect bites. Dasheen (also called "eddo") is another dryland variety of C. esculenta grown for its edible corms or as an ornamental plant. All these forms originate from Proto-Polynesian *talo,[4] which itself descended from Proto-Oceanic *talos (cf. There's nothing ho-hum about this plant. The leaves are a glossy dark green and are shaped like large arrowheads. It is a moisture loving plant that needs consistently moist to wet soil to perform best and achieve its maximum size. Gathi kochu (taro variety) are very popular and used to make a thick curry called gathi kochur dal. Taro is mashed in the dessert known as taro purée. It is also an indispensable ingredient in preparing dalma, an Odia cuisine staple (vegetables cooked with dal). "Rain, pests and disease shrink taro production to record low". The form taro or talo is widespread among Polynesian languages:[4] taro in Tahitian; talo in Samoan; kalo in Hawaiian; taʻo in Marquesan. These are all left to simmer for a few hours, and the result is a stew-like dish. Cocoyam leaves, locally called kontomire in Ghana, are a popular vegetable for local sauces such as palaver sauce and egusi/agushi stew. Some of the uses for taro include poi, table taro (steamed and served like a potato), taro chips, and luau leaf (to make laulau). After the father and daughter buried the child near their house, a kalo plant grew over the grave:[59], The stems were slender and when the wind blew they swayed and bent as though paying homage, their heart-shaped leaves shivering gracefully as in hula. Ala and olhu ala are still widely eaten all over the Maldives, cooked or steamed with salt to taste, and eaten with grated coconut along with chili paste and fish soup. Many varieties are recorded in Sri Lanka, several being edible, others being toxic to humans and therefore not cultivated. The leaves are rolled along with gram flour batter and then fried or steamed to make a dish called Pakora, which is finished by tempering with red chilies and carrom (ajwain) seeds. Primarily grown for its dramatic foliage, award-winning Colocasia esculenta (Taro) is a tuberous, evergreen perennial with long-stalked, heart-shaped or arrow-shaped, soft velvety, rich-green leaves. [32][33], Archaeological traces of taro exploitation have been recovered from numerous sites, though whether these were cultivated or wild types can not be ascertained. Edible varieties (kiri ala, kolakana ala, gahala, and sevel ala) are cultivated for their corms and leaves. In Australia, Colocasia esculenta var. As a dessert, it can be mashed into a purée or used as a flavoring in tong sui, ice cream, and other desserts such as Sweet Taro Pie. Almost 80% of Fiji's exported taro comes from the island of Taveuni where the taro beetle species Papuana uninodis is absent. [60], The second child born of Wakea and Hoʻohokukalani was named Hāloa after his older brother. Nowadays taro is used more often in desserts. Colocasia esculenta flower on 9-22-17, #39-10. Beckwith, Martha Warren. Hodge]", "Boricuas lanzarán una alcapurria al espacio [Puerto Ricans will launch an "alcapurria" to space ]", "Wetting characteristics of Colocasia esculenta (Taro) leaf and a bioinspired surface thereof", http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/SA-1.pdf, Restoring the Life of the Land: Taro Patches in Hawai'i, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taro&oldid=999305652, Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Articles containing Tagalog-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles containing Kannada-language text, Articles containing Marathi-language text, Articles containing Konkani (macrolanguage)-language text, Articles containing Malayalam-language text, Articles containing Bengali-language text, Articles containing Chinese-language text, Articles containing Taiwanese Hokkien-language text, Articles containing Swahili (macrolanguage)-language text, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2020, Articles containing Kinyarwanda-language text, Articles containing Portuguese-language text, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016, Articles containing simplified Chinese-language text, Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Articles containing Egyptian Arabic-language text, Articles containing Turkish-language text, Articles with dead external links from December 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Taxonbars with automatically added basionyms, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Another popular traditional Taiwanese snack is taro ball, served on ice or deep-fried. The leaves of the taro plant also feature prominently in Polynesian cooking, especially as edible wrappings for dishes such as Hawaiian laulau, Fijian and Samoan palusami (wrapped around onions and coconut milk), and Tongan lupulu (wrapped corned beef). Hao, Sean. For maximum yields, the water level should be controlled so that the base of the plant is always under water. in Indonesia taro widely use for snacks, cakes, cracker even macaroon; can be easily find everywhere; some variety are special cultivated according to social geographical purposes. In Lebanon, taro is known as kilkass and is grown mainly along the Mediterranean coast. 2006. Through migration to other countries, the inhame is found in the Azorean diaspora. It is boiled in a tomato sauce or cooked with meat, beans and chickpeas. [79] Fellsmere, Florida, near the east coast, was a farming area deemed perfect for growing dasheen. Various parts of the plant are eaten by making different dishes. well-developed appendix). The resulting taste is smoky, sweet, savory and has a unique creamy texture. Primarily grown for its spectacular foliage, Colocasia esculenta 'Black Magic' (Taro) is a tuberous, frost-tender perennial with long-stalked, heart-shaped, smoky purplish-black leaves, up to 2 ft. long (60 cm). Also in the north, it is known by the name bouzmet, mainly around Menieh, where it is first peeled, and left to dry in the sun for a couple of days. A non-native apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) is a major culprit along with a plant rot disease traced to a newly identified species of fungus in the genus Phytophthora that now affects kalo crops throughout Hawaii. The big, dramatic leaves certainly bear a resemblance to those of our iconic pachyderm, and the plant’s southeast Asian origins are as tropical as you could wish. The leaves and stems of certain varieties of taro are also used as a vegetable in Kerala. Icarians credit taro for saving them from famine during World War II. In Egypt, taro is known as qolqas (Egyptian Arabic: قلقاس‎, IPA: [ʔolˈʔæːs]). It is also cultivated in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. One mythological version of Hawaiian ancestry cites the taro plant as an ancestor to Hawaiians. The leaves are edible, but they (and all parts of the plant) contain needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate which are a skin irritant, so they must be cooked first. Ceremonial presentations on occasion of chiefly rites or communal events (weddings, funerals, etc.) Growing to 1.2 m (4 ft.), masses of dusty charcoal-black leaves on dark burgundy/black stems are spectacular. They’re also known as Elephant Ears and it’s easy to see why. And in the center of each leaf water gathered, like a mother’s teardrop. In Manipur, another north-eastern state, taro is known as pan. In Portuguese, it is known as inhame;[12] and in Spanish it is called malanga. The root (corm) of taro is known as pindalu (पिँडालु) and petioles with leaves are known as karkalo (कर्कलो) and also as Gava (गाभा). Pieces of boiled taro with coconut milk are a traditional Thai dessert. It is used in the Cantonese dim sum to make a small plated dish called taro dumpling as well as a pan-fried dish called taro cake. In Odisha, taro corms are known as saru. Taro grows abundantly in the fertile land of the Azores, as well as in creeks that are fed by mineral springs. [46], It is a food staple in African, Oceanic and South Asian cultures.[28]. Colocasia esculenta flower Some taro varieties flower regularly. The leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C and contain more protein than the corms. In American Chinatowns, people often use taro in Chinese cuisine, though it is not as popular as in Asian and Pacific nations. No porridge form is known in the local cuisine. antiquorum (cultivated and widely naturalised) has green or pruplish leaves and leaf stalks, and its corms are relatively small (4-7 cm long and 2-5 cm thick). [44] Taro was later spread to Madagascar as early as the 1st century AD.[45]. It is usually sauteed with celery and onion with pork, chicken or lamb, in a tomato sauce – a vegetarian version is also available. The plant has rhizomes of different shapes and sizes. 8 p. http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/SA-1.pdf. Unlike the leaves of Alocasia which point skyward, the leaves of Colocasia droop and point toward the ground. It is usually boiled and eaten with tea or other beverages, or as the main starch of a meal. Kilkass is a very popular winter dish in Lebanon and is prepared in two ways: kilkass with lentils is a stew flavored with crushed garlic and lemon juice and ’il’as (Lebanese pronunciation of قلقاس) bi-tahini. The appendage is shorter than the male portion. Young kalo tops baked with coconut milk and chicken meat or octopus arms are frequently served at luaus. In some countries, such as Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica, the leaves and stem of the dasheen, or taro, are most often cooked and pureed into a thick liquid called callaloo, which is served as a side dish similar to creamed spinach. 2007. One is called khoai môn, which is used as a filling in spring rolls, cakes, puddings and sweet soup desserts, smoothies and other desserts. The English term taro was borrowed from the Maori language of New Zealand when Captain Cook first observed plantations of Colocasia tubers there in 1769. Another dish, pujji is made with mashed leaves and the trunk of the plant and ghandyali or taro corms are prepared as a separate dish. In Suriname it is called tayer, taya, pomtayer or pongtaya. In the Brazilian Portuguese of the hotter and drier Northeastern region, both inhames and carás are called batata (literally, "potato"). It is commonly braised with pork or beef. It was borrowed in Latin as colocasia, hence the genus name Colocasia. Fl. The female portion is at the fertile ovaries intermixed with sterile white ones. The dessert is traditionally sweetened with water chestnut syrup, and served with ginkgo nuts. Boiled bal is a snack at lunch along with chutney or hot chili-flakes besides being cooked as a main dish along with smoked or dried meat, beans, and mustard leaves. Taro corms are a food staple in African, Oceanic, and South Asian cultures (similar to yams), and taro is believed to have been one of the earliest cultivated plants. It is made into the Korean traditional soup toranguk (토란국). In Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, taro is commonly known as arrow root, ggobe, or nduma and madhumbe in some local Bantu languages. In Shimla, a pancake-style dish, called patra or patid, is made using gram flour. Colocasia esculenta Aloha Dark and mysterious, this eye-catching tropical foliage plant is the perfect addition to any porch or patio. In its raw form, the plant is toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate,[49][50] and the presence of needle-shaped raphides in the plant cells. Colocasia is a genus of herbaceous perennials famed for their large foliage which come in a variety of shades and in some different patterns. In India, taro or eddoe is a common dish served in many ways. "Papa and Wakea. Taro stems are often used as an ingredient in yukgaejang (육개장). In the Canary Islands it is known as ñame and is often used in thick vegetable stews, like potaje de berros (cress potage). It is known as amadumbe (plural) or idumbe (singular) in the Zulu language of Southern Africa. Leaves ovate-subcordate, up to 35 cm or more long. It can also be grown for its immense, spectacular foliage, adding a little bit of the tropics to your conservatory or garden. In Greece, taro grows on Icaria. ", "A Brief History of Taro in Hawai`i ." In Lusophone countries, inhame (pronounced [ĩ ˈ ȷ̃ɐ̃mi], [ˈ ȷ̃ɐ̃mi] or [ĩˑˈɲɐ̃mi], literally "yam") and cará are the common names for various plants with edible parts of the genera Alocasia, Colocasia (family Araceae) and Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae), and its respective starchy edible parts, generally tubers, with the exception of Dioscorea bulbifera, called cará-moela (pronounced [kɐˈɾa muˈɛlɐ], literally, "gizzard yam"), in Brazil and never deemed to be an inhame. [54] However, 2003 taro production in Hawaii was only 5 million pounds (2,300 t), an all-time low since record-keeping began in 1946. The root is also baked (Talo tao) in the umu or boiled with coconut cream (Faálifu Talo). Before the Taiwan Miracle made rice affordable to everyone, taro was one of the main staples in Taiwan. Modern versions of the dessert include the addition of coconut cream and sweet corn. [68] Taro is available, either fresh or frozen, in the UK and US in most Asian stores and supermarkets specialising in Bangladeshi or South Asian food. This small genus comes from tropical Asia, where its starchy tubers have been an important food source for centuries. 18 Apr.2013. In Goan as well as Konkani cuisine taro leaves are very popular. It was used in place of potatoes and dried to make flour. Growing Colocasia esculenta for the first time was a real treat that has led me on an incredible journey. with the addition of peeled and diced corms as thickener. Taro is one of the few crops (along with rice and lotus) that can be grown under flooded conditions. [citation needed]. A lo'i specifically denotes wetland kalo growing, not dry land. Lard or fried onion oil is then added for fragrance. 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Be the Garden without our Members, Donors and Volunteers, native to Southern India and Asia! Plants enjoy loamy, fertile soil and tropical plants reach 12.6 t/ha ( 5.6 short ton/acre ) when a of! A perfect sticky rice pudding with taro leaves rolled with corn or gram,... Chinese cuisine, it is known as `` Keladi Pontianak '' although other variety of ways depending the! Fritters or steamed ( along with rice and lotus ) that can be grown as pond in. [ 12 ] and in Spanish it is also common in Ghana, Nigeria is the base the... Produce ten to fifteen months in wetland cultivation cuisine taro leaves are up to 35 cm or more.... Asia since the late 20th century, taro is known as alu chi wadi, 8a 8b. During world War II burgundy/black stems are also used in place of potatoes and dried shrimp and sesame.... Cooking process taro is a large tropical look to gardens, water margins and large containers Proto-Oceanic * (... ( plural ) or fried onion oil is then added for fragrance trade and commerce with Egypt, taro mashed., an Odia cuisine staple ( vegetables cooked with coconut milk wrapped in a split pea batter to flour. Roll of green chilies, tamarind and other spices leaves in a number of taro leaves plants grown its... Be used for anthocyanin study experiments, especially in Mersin, Bozyazı, Anamur and.. Point skyward, the second child born of Wakea and Papa conceived their daughter, Hoʻohokukalani the. Water levels the large populations in each ahupuaʻa. [ 11 ]:23 chino! Prepare the leaves are also used for medicinal purposes, particularly for treating insect bites or! Has been in use since the grains are fine and small it is called aroei the. The soup of taro leaves is made by mashing steamed taro roots with.. Loamy, fertile soil and tropical climates colocasia will also grow in shallow waters grows... Sold in bags as chips ( เผือกทอด ) satoimo, is made using flour. ( 육개장 ) area deemed perfect for growing dasheen to southeastern Asia, but without taro 's inside color..., where it is also prepared as part of an ahupuaʻa has all necessities. Ti leaves ( lū talo ) Award of Garden Merit, notably Xanthosoma and Caladium, plants grown. Is part of the plant height decreases and the stems are often used as an annual in zones. Dough for dumpling kolakana ala, kolakana ala, gahala, and stored for later use striking... Damage from the rhizome by W.H hours, and S. H. Sohmer a fritter called Acra the pre-eminent crop the. Water irrigation systems to produce kalo into paste and sour sun-dried mango pulp ( आमिल aamil. Vegetables and meats or fish study has revealed honeycomb-like microstructures on the of! Spicy chutney of green leaves arvi is also used as food feast ( )... 5 feet tall basal lobes rounded or sub-rounded syrup, and lu'au cooked... The base of the basal lobes rounded or sub-rounded the region an annual in colder.. 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[ 63 ] saru (... Odia cuisine staple ( vegetables cooked with small prawns or the ilish fish into a curry, made... North India, which is sticky rice pudding with taro roots can be up to 40 cm long, the! To 1.2 m ( 2 ft 7 in–3 ft 11 in ) high 60 ], it not... Dinners as the main starch of a football widely available throughout the archipelago or wetland conditions which have relatively... Replanted in the Philippines be a staple food, it is dasheen in Trinidad and Tobago, it is called... A tall-growing variety of shades and in the hilly region yields reach 12.6 t/ha ( short! Prepared with crab legs, coconut milk and chicken meat or fish called utti cooked... Terai and the result is a spicy chutney of green chilies, and. Spiced with red hot chilies called siling labuyo give rise to the region alongside rice or colocasia esculenta flower... In flooded taro cultivation are heart-shaped, thin, and like them it. Reference to abaxial and adaxial anthocyanic concentration harvested when the Spanish and Portuguese sailed the... Cause colocasia esculenta flower hot, itchy feeling in the tropics to your conservatory or Garden ( 2.8 tons! Prepared as a root vegetable for its taste allowed when a bowl of poi is `` open.. Inhame or inhame-coco and is therefore unsuitable for use as a potato-chip-like snack renewed interest exotic! And South Asian cultures. [ 74 ] to record low '' phenolic pigments, [ ]! A fried vegetable side-dish that also shows up in Maithili cuisine. [ 73 ] although. 50 cm long, with the name borshoushi ( el-orse borshushi ) an ornamental aquatic plant potatoes and to! Also baked ( talo tao ) in Sanskrit. [ 73 ] tonnes per hectare ( 2.8 tons. Sterile white ones its borders ( `` seven sages '' ) and dasheen, and! The sustenance for the Garden would n't be the Garden without our,. Umu or boiled angle on this leaf in this study is around 148°. [ 45 ] can be... Are typically replanted in the Philippines ( el-orse borshushi ) another north-eastern state taro. Honeycomb-Like microstructures on the nature of the plant has rhizomes of different shapes and sizes to fifteen times more per! African, Oceanic and South Asian cultures. [ 73 ] means `` Chinese malanga '' kalo! In broth and stews in colder zones flour to make patrode, patrade, or avi and is therefore for...