Shown above, taro fields in Haena, Kauai, Hawaii. They are part of a restoration project to demonstrate Ancient Hawaiian farming methods.
Taro—known as "Kalo" in Hawaii—is a tropical bulbous tuber that was a staple food source for the Ancient Hawaiians. The fleshy tuber is not a root; it is a "corm," a thickened part of the underground stem which holds stored energy for the plant's survival (should water or nutrition become scarce). The plant is believed to have originated in India, Nepal or Bangladesh—and spread (by voyagers) throughout Southeast Asia, Oceania and Africa. It became a nutritional staple wherever it was grown. There is archaeological evidence of taro consumption in the Soloman Islands 20,000 - 28,000 years ago (though it cannot be confirmed if that taro was wild grown or cultivated). British explorer, Captain James Cook, observed sophisticated taro plantations in New Zealand in the late Eighteenth Century. Taro also has been cultivated in Egypt, Turkey and the Canary Islands. In Ikaria, Greece, the local taro production helped the island's inhabitants survive food deprivation during World War II.
Taro is the Tahitian and Maori name for the plant. Hawaiians call it Kalo. It is called Talo in Samoa and Tonga. And the Greeks call it Kolokas.
Over 300 varieties of taro were brought to Hawaii in ancient times. Some were "dryland" but most were grown in submerged paddy-fields, called lo'i in Hawaiian, which produced double harvestable quantity as did dryland varieties.
Taro contains a compound called oxalic acid which can be toxic when handled or eaten raw (and may produce kidney stones). In fact, oxalic acid is a powerful agent used in commercial and household cleaning products or rust removers. Thus, to inactivate the oxalic acid, taro must always be roasted, boiled, baked or fried before serving. In Hawaii, most taro was roasted in an underground pit (called an Imu), then pulverized into a paste (called Poi) using carved-stone pestles. Poi was a significant source of carbohydrates in the Ancient Hawaiian diet.
The "elephant ears" of the taro leaf also can be cooked and consumed. They are a significant source of Vitamin K and other vitamins and minerals. In Hawaii, the taro leaves were rolled around fish, pork or chicken to create steamed packets called laulau—which still is a popular dish at Hawaiian luaus. Shown above, a taro field, submerged in water. Because it takes seven months from planting to harvest, Hawaiian farmers would operate multiple "ponds" simultaneously, rotating their harvest to ensure continuous production.
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