How is poi made from taro root?
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In Hawaii, poi is a staple cuisine prepared from the taro root, which is technically the plant's edible corm.12
The preparation process involves several key steps:
- Cooking: The roots are peeled and cooked. It is essential to heat the taro thoroughly because raw corms contain acrid calcium oxalate, which is poisonous if consumed raw.12
- Pounding: The cooked taro is pounded into a pulp. The word "poi" originally referred to this specific action of pounding food into a paste.1
- Mixing and Straining: Water is added to the pounded taro to achieve the desired consistency, and the mixture is strained to remove any remaining fibers.13
The resulting product is a bland, bluish-gray paste that can be eaten fresh or allowed to ferment for up to a week to develop a tangy flavor.13