"Yams"

From: "Robert Wagner" <robwagner at robwagner.seanet.com> on 1997.06.29 at 18:45:00(900) I usually just "lurk" on this list, but I made a "fun" discovery last week that I'd like to share. It might be old news to some but it was a surprise to me: +More Last week I spotted some vegetarian meat substitutes in a little hole-in-the-wall Taiwanese grocery in Chinatown. Although they say they are made from "yams", the "yam" was quite clearly pictured on the back in various stages of growth. It is none other than our friend Amorphophallus! Probably konjac; it resembles mine tho not exactly. Now I am suspicious that the "yams" in many Asian foods--Korean Yam noodles, Japanese Yam cakes--are actually made from the tubers of Amorphophallus. Considering their texture, that seems to make more sense. I had always thought "yam" referred to Dioscorea--an unrelated plant (like a giant monocotyledenous sweet potato), which, ironically, I have growing up the corner of my house not more than a few feet away from A. konjac. I would not be surprised if both plants have similar names in Chinese--I think that Dioscorea batatas is actually referred to as a "Mountain Yam". Of course I had to try one of the packages. I can report that the shrimp were a little bland but do indeed have a consistency much like the real thing. Next time I'll marinate them. Should come in handy for vegetarian versions of Thai dishes. You never know about the accuracy of labels on imported foods, but Amorphophallus might not be the most nutrient-dense food. It only listed 50 calories from carbohydrates and a gram of protein--and the protein is probably all from a soy-derived ingredient. I added up all the weight from protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber, and it didn't add up to more than a fraction of the weight of the product. OK, what the heck is it then? an unrelated aside: Tony, your black-leaf Taro is just as cute as can be. It's actually doing OK even this far north (Seattle). Robert

From: plantnut at shadow.net (Dewey Fisk) on 1997.06.30 at 04:04:14(901) Robert, I would really like for a hungry Taiwanese to come by my house. I have two species of Dioscorea with which I constantly do battle. I dig them and throw them on the 'burn pile' and the next time I set it afire... Roasted! But, otherwise, they are really a pest and if you have it growing up the corner of your house..... Please be careful that it does not get away from you... But, in Seattle, it may not matter as I don't think they could stand your temperatures in winter... Dewey +More Dewey E. Fisk, Plant Nut THE PHILODENDRON PHREAQUE

From: hesterc at niven.acpub.duke.edu (Clarence Hester) on 1997.07.04 at 03:58:15(913) > > Dear Friends, > I agree with Eduardo; I have this exact plant grown from commercially bought +More > corms from a local Jamaican grocery as "red co-co"; it probably should be > called X. violacium untill a review of the Genus Xanthosoma is done. There is > another var. of Xanthosoma here in W.P.B. that is MUCH blacker (no, not a > Colocasia, it`s a Xanthosoma !) which I supplied to the Nat. Zoo for their > "Amazon" exibit. > Julius ju-bo@msn.com Julius- I commented on this list a couple of years ago about the plant labeled "Xanthosoma violacea" that I saw at Kew Gardens in London at one of the conservatories. This plant was clearly a Xanthosoma with *huge* leaves that were very dark, almost black. Seeking same, I searched for a source of "Xanthosoma violacea" here in the U.S. What I've consistently ended up finding is a large Xanthosoma with purple/black stems, but the leaves are green (and not at all comparable to the almost black leaves I saw on the Kew plant). Do you know of a source for the ultra-dark Xanthosoma violacea? Clarence Hester

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at msn.com> on 1997.07.04 at 19:50:01(914) ---------- Sent: Thursday, July 03, 1997 11:58 PM To: Julius Boos +More Subject: RE: "Yams" > > Dear Friends, > I agree with Eduardo; I have this exact plant grown from commercially bought > corms from a local Jamaican grocery as "red co-co"; it probably should be > called X. violacium untill a review of the Genus Xanthosoma is done. There is > another var. of Xanthosoma here in W.P.B. that is MUCH blacker (no, not a > Colocasia, it`s a Xanthosoma !) which I supplied to the Nat. Zoo for their > "Amazon" exibit. > Julius ju-bo@msn.com >>Julius- I commented on this list a couple of years ago about the plant labeled "Xanthosoma violacea" that I saw at Kew Gardens in London at one of the conservatories. This plant was clearly a Xanthosoma with *huge* leaves that were very dark, almost black. Seeking same, I searched for a source of "Xanthosoma violacea" here in the U.S. What I've consistently ended up finding is a large Xanthosoma with purple/black stems, but the leaves are green (and not at all comparable to the almost black leaves I saw on the Kew plant). Do you know of a source for the ultra-dark Xanthosoma violacea? Clarence Hester<< Dear Clarence, A friend of mine here in W.P.Beach, Florida has (had?) a Xanthosoma with very dark leaf blades, I can attempt to obtain a few small corms. Have you seen the Xanthosoma (I believe from Cen. America) that is large and entirely Chartreuse?!? I just managed to save my plant of this from a soft rot of the corm/rhizome caused by my neglect; I trimmed off all the soft rotten lower areas, treated the fresh cut surface with "Ban Rot", and the tiny terminal bud piece that remained has re-grown. It is a striking plant, and I`ve often thought that it would look fantastic in a large exibit, if combined with the black-leaved one. If seeking contrast, you could add X. atrvirens (?) sold locally on occasion in Latin groceries here as "malanga amarilla", which I have a plant of and has greyish or silvered leaves. I also have a few plants of what was I.D.`d as X. brazilense when I published the article in Aroideana No. 16. They had almost died from my neglect, but I have re-potted them, and the larger purple stemmed variety is a striking plant ! I`ll start trying to obtain a plant of the black one and keep you informed. Keep in touch. Reguards, Julius Boos ju-bo@msn.com

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at msn.com> on 1997.07.04 at 19:57:02(915) >>I usually just "lurk" on this list, but I made a "fun" discovery last week that I'd like to share. It might be old news to some but it was a surprise +More to me: Last week I spotted some vegetarian meat substitutes in a little hole-in-the-wall Taiwanese grocery in Chinatown. Although they say they are made from "yams", the "yam" was quite clearly pictured on the back in various stages of growth. It is none other than our friend Amorphophallus! Probably konjac; it resembles mine tho not exactly. Now I am suspicious that the "yams" in many Asian foods--Korean Yam noodles, Japanese Yam cakes--are actually made from the tubers of Amorphophallus. Considering their texture, that seems to make more sense. I had always thought "yam" referred to Dioscorea--an unrelated plant (like a giant monocotyledenous sweet potato), which, ironically, I have growing up the corner of my house not more than a few feet away from A. konjac. I would not be surprised if both plants have similar names in Chinese--I think that Dioscorea batatas is actually referred to as a "Mountain Yam". Of course I had to try one of the packages. I can report that the shrimp were a little bland but do indeed have a consistency much like the real thing. Next time I'll marinate them. Should come in handy for vegetarian versions of Thai dishes. You never know about the accuracy of labels on imported foods, but Amorphophallus might not be the most nutrient-dense food. It only listed 50 calories from carbohydrates and a gram of protein--and the protein is probably all from a soy-derived ingredient. I added up all the weight from protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber, and it didn't add up to more than a fraction of the weight of the product. OK, what the heck is it then? an unrelated aside: Tony, your black-leaf Taro is just as cute as can be. It's actually doing OK even this far north (Seattle). Robert<< Dear Robert, I am originally from Trinidad, W.I. and Yams (Dioscorea) are dear to my heart. It`s a little late in the season, but if poss. ask around in a Jamaican grocery for "Yampee". It`s a small Dioscorea sp. (I forget the exact specific name, but will pull it up if you like, I believe it`s "trifida" or somesuch) that when grown has leaves shaped like the Bat Man logo! It also is THE most delicious of all the "yams", and the only edible one native to the Americas. It`s known as "cush-cush" in Trinidad, and is easy to grow in a 15 gal. pot of potting soil and given a trellis or tree to grow up on. Have you seen the sp. with the very beautiful leaves, somewhat of a velvet texture? I come across it from time to time. It`s an ornimental. I`ve tried the Amorphophallus products you mention, and they are quite good in any stir-fried dish! Also, look and ask in Indian groceries for cans of "Suran", which is diced Amorphophallus (prob. paeoniifoilus) which can be used like potatoes in stew. Cheers, Julius ju-bo@msn.com

From: "Robert Wagner" <robwagner at robwagner.seanet.com> on 1997.07.06 at 16:18:08(918) Julius, I have never been to Trinidad, but I have heard a lot about what a colorful and cosmopolitan place it is. The only Dioscorea I've ever seen is my own, D. batatas, except for a few B&W pictures in a plant catalog. Some of the tropical Dioscoreas must be dramatic. I take it you no longer live in Trinidad; if it's too cold for Caribbean yams wherever you are, you are welcome to starts of mine if you want any. Read on... Dewey, I have bad news for you: Dioscoreas seem to have a weird prediliction for being more root hardy than one would imagine from their tropical affinities (and a few truly hardy ones hail from Japan and the Balkans!). I suspect that their tubers going as deep as they do helps keep them out of harm's way. Mine tolerates not only cool, dry summers (without irrigation) but also mildly frosty and extremely wet winters that do in a lot of subtropical and warm-temperate plants. And it grows with tropical vigor! Luckily my garden is so densely planted the tuberils and seeds rarely find their way down to the ground. Back on topic here: Arisaema candidissima is blooming. A. tortuosum is missing but probably OK--it always comes up rediculously late for some reason. Probably waiting for the summer monsoon, that doesn't happen here... +More Robert

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