Subject: Re: IAS pages...
>>Dear aroiders,
Thanks to Chris Freeland, our new computer staff here at MO, the updated
version
of the IAS web page is running now. I went through it briefly and everything
is
fine. Thanks, Chris.
In the past a few months, I have not keep up with some messages from you due
to
a long trip to China. My appologizes if it happened to you. Please send you
request again. Everything should be back to normal now. Please let me know
any suggestions for the pages. It will be great if you do something for the
page.
After all, the IAS page belongs to every of us in the IAS.
Guanghua<<
Dear Guanghua,
Good to see you back on line !
You may have been following the recent string of letters on Aroid-L concerning
grocery-bought Aroids, and the difficulty that some members have been having
in identifying them. A suggestion was made that we add a page to the IAS
pages on a guide to I.D.`ing these tubers, and telling them apart from the
Dioscoreas (and Jicamas ?) that are sometimes confused with them. Some of
these Aroids turn out to desireable horticultural subjects if planted, and I
have a series of recipes for those who would like to make our hobby a part of
their diet !
I will start the ball a-rolling as follows-- here are the Scientific names (
or as close to them as I can find ) followed by the ethnic name/names that I
am presently aware of, and the Countries connected to these names.
Colocasia e. esculenta.
1) "Taro" or "Talo"or "Kalo" --Hawaii. some of the other Pacific Islands.
MANY varieties !
2) "Dasheen" ("de Chine"-- from China, or the East)--English speaking
Caribbean Islands; S.E. U.S.A. (where it is cultivated, and the variety
"Trinidad" is said to be the preferred planting. Several varieties in the
English speaking Caribbean, "blue metal" (of a blue-grey color) being one of
the favorites on Trinidad, but said to be difficult to cultivate.
3) "Camacho"(?)--Ecuador, Colombia. These names need confirmation, and may
also refer to Xanthosoma sps..
4) "Old Cocoyam"--West Africa, and said to be sometimes used on Jamaica.
5) "Arvi"---India.
6)"Keladi" and "Talas"---S.E. Asia.
7)"Calaloo bush"--Some of the English speaking Caribbean. These are the
young, un-furled leaves used in the prep. of a soup. This soup (which
contains okra and crabs) has its origins in the African and Louiseana "gumbo"
family of meals.
8) "Malanga cabza" or "malanga Islena"--Cuba and parts of the Spanish
speaking world.
Colocasia e. antiquorum.
1) "Eddoes"-- English speaking Caribbean Islands.
2) "Slippery dips"-- Barbados, West Indies.
3) "Taro root"-- It is presently being sold as this in Supermarket chains in
Florida and perhaps elsewhere within the U.S.. It is being commercially
cultivated in very large quantities in Florida for distribution as food.
4) "Papa China" (Chinese Potatoes) Ecuador, poss. Colombia, other Countries
in South America.
5) "Old coco yam"--West Africa.
6) "Arvi"-- I find it sold under this name in ethnic Indian groceries in West
Palm Beach, Florida.
Xanthosoma sagittifolia
1) "Malanga blanca"---Cuba, parts of the Spanish speaking world.
2) "Tannia" or "tanier"--English speaking Caribbean.
3) "Yautia blanca"---Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
4) "New cocoyams"---West Africa.
5) "Ape" (Ah-pay) Hawaii, perhaps Tonga and Samoa.
6) "Taioba"--- Brazil-- these are the leaves, which are reportadly cooked
with various meats.
Xanthosoma (?) violacium
1) "Malanga lila" (lilac)-- Cuba, parts of the Spanish speaking world.
2) "Yautia lila"--Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
3) "Red coco"---Jamaica.
Xanthosoma (?) atrovirens
1) "Malanga amarilla"--- Cuba and parts of the Spanish Caribbean.
2) "Yautia amarilla"---Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Amorphallus paeoniifolius.
1) "Suran"--India. I can find this in cans in Indian/Pakistani groceries
here in West Palm Beach, and have been told that they will buy all the tubers
I could produce, and that very rarely tubers are available.
Note. I would expect that we shall soon be starting to see other Aroids sold
as food in the U.S.A., such as the leaves of Alocasia sps., eaten as a spinach
by Thai peoples; the name I got the one time I saw it was "Bak (or Pak, or
Boc) ha".
Best wishes to all, and lets try to add other names we might know these
fascinating (and delicious !) plants by in our respective homelands, and the
names that are being used in the groceries/super markets under which they are
sold.
Cheers,
Julius
ju-bo@msn.com
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