On Food and Cooking

plant native to eastern Asia and the Pacific
islands, Colocasia esculenta, which is in the
arum family (as are calla lilies and
philodendrons). Like other arums, taro
contains protective crystalline needles of
calcium oxalate (40–160 mg per 100 gm), and
deposits them near stores of protein-digesting
enzymes. The result is an arsenal of
something resembling poison-tipped darts:
when the tuber is eaten raw, the crystals
puncture the skin and then the enzymes eat
away at the wound, producing considerable
irritation. Cooking overcomes this defensive
system by denaturing the enzymes and
dissolving the crystals.
Taro is commonly found in two sizes, one
the main tuberous growth which may be
several pounds, the other smaller side-
growths, each a few ounces, and with a
moister texture. The flesh is mottled by
vessels purplish with phenolic compounds;
during cooking the phenolics and color diffuse