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.It is usedin a variety of stewed Japanese dishes, see p.130.Samoan taro: This variety is the largest of the commercially available taros, frequently as much as 56 inches indiameter.Smooth and light tan on the outside, it has light-colored flesh.It is imported for the use of the Samoancommunity.Taro products Page 223Poi(Pounded Taro)To make your own poi, place cooked taro in a food processor and process with a little water until you produce aconsistency that will cling to a finger.Poi sold in the market is a blend of just two varieties (not several differentkinds as in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries).It is packaged in plastic bags color coded so that customerscan select the desired degree of sourness.Enticing the poi out of the plastic can be tricky; the recommended methodis to pour a little water into the bag and knead for a few minutes.Kulolo(Steamed Taro and Coconut Confection)This sweet confection of grated taro mixed with grated coconut and traditionally steamed in ti leaves in an imu,looks like a pale chocolate fudge and has a sweet nutty taste.If it was already being prepared prior to Europeancontact it would have been forbidden to women, for whom coconut was taboo.Today kulolo wrapped in plasticwrap is available in grocery stores.Like other taro products it is not cheap: $34 for a piece the size of a largebrownie.Luau Leaves(Taro Leaves)Taro leaves can be purchased in any grocery store in Hawaii.On the mainland, they can sometimes be found inCaribbean stores under the very descriptive name "elephant leaves," since they are the size of elephant ears.Theyhave tough veins that have to be stripped off.It is wise to use rubber gloves.Then, like every other part of the plant,they have to be cooked for 45 minutes to an hour to destroy the calcium oxalate crystals.But, like the other parts,they have that heavenly smell.Spinach can be substituted in a pinch.In Hawaii, and also in the Caribbean, India, and Indonesia, taro leaves are used for wrapping other ingredients, in thesame way that Europeans might use cabbage leaves or grape leaves.They are also chopped and added to soups andstews. Page 224Laulau(Pork and Salt Fish Steamed with Taro Leaves)Laulau is a classic of Hawaiian cookery, perhaps dating back before European contact, but now utilizing ingredientsthat became available only subsequently.The long cooking deals with the calcium oxalate.An almost identical dishis made in the Caribbean, where a dry-land taro called callaloo is grown.15 It was not influence, that I can tell, butsimilar ingredientsseafood, salted meat or fish, and tarothat produced such similar dishes.8 ti leaves½ pound salt butterfish, rinsed several times to remove excess salt¾ pound pork butt in 1-inch cubes4 boned chicken thighs1-pound package luau leaves, washed and dried1 tablespoon Hawaiian saltFor each serving, place two ti leaves in a cross on the counter.Wrap one-fourth of the butterfish, one-fourth of thepork, and one chicken thigh, seasoned with Hawaiian salt, in three or four luau leaves and place on one of thesecontainers-to-be.(Nowadays chopped luau leaves are often substituted for the wrapping.) Fold up the ti leaves andsecure with string.Place on a steamer and steam for 3 to 4 hours.Sad to say, the leaves turn a disappointingbrownish color, but the aroma when you open them is tempting.Place one on each plate, letting each individualopen the package.Yield: Four servings Page 225The Coconut and the ArrowrootWith graceful slanting trunks and feathery tops swaying in the breeze, coconut palms are the very essence of atropical paradise.Mark Twain, who could be sour on occasion, may have dismissed them as colossal raggedparasols, underhung with bunches of magnified grapes, but he was the exception.1 For most of us, coconut palmsfringing a white sand beach are the stuff that dreams are made of.I arrived in Hawaii expecting a rich repertoire of dishes using coconut.I did indeed find plenty of coconut palms.They are an essential part of the ambiance of tropical resorts, and hotel developers pay good prices for maturepalms.Stories are passed around of palm rustling to keep up with the seemingly incessant demand.Rustled or not,palms are trucked to construction sitesflatbeds make their way along the narrow streets of downtown Honolulu withthree or four trunks roped down, their fronds swaying out behind.At the resorts they are lashed in place until theirshallow root system takes hold.No nuts are allowed to develop.A ripe coconut is hard and heavy, and a fallingcoconut is a peril to the unwary passerby.Coconut palms are regularly and carefully trimmed to make sure no suchdisasters occur.As it turns out, Hawaii has never depended heavily on the coconut.In Southeast Asia and the South Pacific,coconuts truly were and are the staff of life, supplying not only coconut milk and sterile water, but also rope, oil,broom fibers and food containers
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