into and tinge the cream-colored flesh. Taro
retains its shape when simmered, and it
becomes waxy on cooling. It has a pronounced
aroma that reminds some of chestnuts, others
of egg yolk. In Hawaii taro is boiled, mashed,
and fermented into poi, one element in the
luau (p. 295).
Taro is sometimes confused with malanga,
yautia, and cocoyam, tubers of a number of
New World tropical species in the genus
Xanthosoma, which are also arums protected
by oxalate crystals. Malanga grows in drier
soils than taro, is more elongated, has an
earthier flavor, and more readily falls apart
when simmered in soups and stews.
Yam True yams are starchy tubers of tropical
plants that are related to the grasses and lilies,
a dozen or so cultivated species of Dioscorea
from Africa, South America, and the Pacific
with varying sizes, textures, colors, and
flavors. They are seldom seen in mainstream