Colocasia gigantea

From: "David Sizemore" <maui4me at charter.net> on 2007.03.25 at 03:52:58(15474) 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: +More ------- "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 ----------- 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 _______________________________________________ Aroid-l mailing list Aroid-l@gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

From: brian lee <lbmkjm at yahoo.com> on 2007.03.25 at 18:37:44(15477) Dear David, Aloha. I live in Hawaii and eat zuiki or bac ha all the time. I grow it but never knew the name Colocasia gigantea. There is a caveat...many plants look just like this and if you do not get the right plant, calcium oxalate crystals will assault your mouth. Also to prep the petioles, one must peel off the outer skin...which is easily done. It is really delicious in Vietnamese hot and sour soup. I think it is best blanched quickly as some clones may have more calcium...although the Japanese like it raw with sashimi...raw fish. Aloha, Leland +More --- David Sizemore wrote: > 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 > > > _______________________________________________ > Aroid-l mailing list > Aroid-l@gizmoworks.com > http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center. http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/ _______________________________________________ Aroid-l mailing list Aroid-l@gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at msn.com> on 2007.03.25 at 21:41:06(15481) MSN Home | My MSN | Hotmail | Shopping | Money | People & Chat Sign out of .NET Passport sites Web Search: +More go to MSN Hotmail Today Mail Calendar Contacts Options | Help ju-bo@msn.com Free Newsletters Reply Reply | Reply All Reply All | Forward Forward | Delete Delete | Junk Mail Junk | Put In Folder Put in Folder | Print Print View | Contact Save Address Inbox Sent Messages Drafts Trash Can Report Junk E-Mail Report and Block Sender Reply-To : Discussion of aroids Sent : Sunday, March 25, 2007 3:52 AM To : Subject : [Aroid-l] Colocasia gigantea Hello Friends, I am very interested in reading this, and it should serve to warn us not to experiment TOO deeply with raw aroids. Local names can also be misleading, years ago I too got a plant of what the Vietnamese lady told me was 'Bak ha', but I am fairly certain it was species of Alocasia, not Colocasia. I think I see it sold around here to the landscaping/horticultural trade as 'Chinese taro'. I`d like to get a TRUE plant of the var. of Colocasia gigantia in which the petioles can be eaten raw, but am afraid of the same result ("FIRE-tongue/throat") that David`s friend experienced, so will wait till I can meet someone who has and will try it WITH me! The Best, Julius. 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 _______________________________________________ Aroid-l mailing list Aroid-l@gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

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