Giant taro

Where does Giant taro grow?

Found in: Africa, American Samoa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bougainville, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Cambodia, Caroline Islands, Central America, Chuuk, Cook Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Easter Island, Fiji, French Polynesia, FSM, Guam, Guatemala, Guianas, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kiribati, Kosrae, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Caledonia, Northeastern India, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Pohnpei, Puerto Rico, Rotuma, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South America, Sri Lanka, St Helena, Suriname, Tahiti, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Truk, Tuvalu, United States, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, West Africa, West Indies, Yap

Notes: There are about 60-70 Alocasia species.

Status: It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. This taro is of local importance only in some coastal areas and islands of Papua New Guinea e.g. Rabaul, Namatanai. It is important in several Pacific Islands and Sri Lanka.

Growing Giant taro

Cultivation: The top of the main corm is planted. The small round cormels can be planted, but are slow to mature. A spacing of 1.2 x 1.2 m is suitable. Because the giant taro takes more than a year to be ready to harvest, it often ends up left growing in an old garden site without much care or weeding, until the owner wants to harvest it. The mouth can be irritated by chewing improperly cooked plant parts due to chemicals called oxalates. Giant taro contains small needle-like calcium oxalate crystals in the tissues. It is necessary to remove these during the preparation and cooking. The method of peeling is important. Normally some ladies who are especially experienced at peeling do this job. Also the taro corm is often left to wilt for a week after it is harvested and before it is used. Also to help remove some of the crystals, the stem is baked for a long time, or boiled in several changes of water. It is also important to use the right variety of giant taro because the kinds grown in gardens have less of the chemical than wild ones.

Edible Uses: The stems and corms are eaten after roasting or boiling. The main corm is cooked and eaten after being carefully peeled. The young leaves are edible. CAUTION The mouth can be irritated by chewing improperly cooked plant parts due to chemicals called oxalates. The stems are cut into small pieces and boiled and eaten in curries. The stems are boiled and the water thrown away. The starch is also extracted from the rootstocks. The young shoots are cooked and eaten. The harvested food can be stored for about one week.

Production: Corms of 8.5 to 40 kg have been harvested from individual plants of unknown age. The time to maturity is about 12 months but plants are often left for 2-3 years.

Nutrition Info

Giant taro Photos

References

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