[Aroid-l] Colocasia gigantea

**&* S* <m*@charter.net>**

Hello all, I've been on this list for some time but usually just lurk and

absorb the knowledge of the wise contributors. I've noticed that

discussions about Colocasia gigantea crop up from time to time. I've grown

it for a long time and remember being told it was edible by the Vietnamese

lady that I got it from. I found an excerpt from a book that discusses it's

edibility that might be interesting to the more adventurous of you:

-------

"There are many kinds of taro, and one member of the Colocasia family,

Colocasia gigantea, produces no tuber, neither is the leaf eaten, but the

leaf stalks are sliced and used in Cambodian and Vietnamese soups, lightly

cooked and still crisp. Their porous structure enables them to hold the

flavoursome stock much as a sponge holds water. They have also been

discovered by adventurous chefs of other persuasions and are served sliced

in salads and other dishes where the delicate flavour and crisp texture find

favour. These petioles (leaf stalks) may even be eaten raw, but first make

sure they are the right kind - the Japanese call it zuiki; Cambodians and

Vietnamese, bac ha. Ask for an English translation and they will tell you

'taro', but it is best to buy it from a shop and not to go foraging yourself

unless you are knowledgeable about such matters."

OtherLanguages:
Cambodia: bac ha (leaf petioles)
China: woo tau, yu
Fiji: rou rou
Hawaii: luau
India: arvi, patra
Indonesia: talas
Japan: sato-imo (yam), zuiki (leaf petioles)
Malaysia: keladi
Philippines: gabi
Sri Lanka: kiri ala
Tahiti: fafa
Thailand: phueak
Vietnam: khoai mon

From Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Australia)

-----------

From personal experience, a Chinese friend of mine tried munching on a small

piece of an uncooked leaf of C. gigantea and immediately had a reaction from

the calcium oxalate crystals setting her tongue on fire! I never could

convince here to cook the stalks only and try them after that little

incident. One of the best things about this beautiful plant besides being

ornamental and edible is that is usually fully hardy here in the Tennessee

mountains.

David Sizemore
Kingsport, TN

Zone 6b/7a

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