Re: Grocery Store Aroids

From: Lester Kallus <lkallus at earthlink.net> on 1997.12.11 at 17:23:43(1731) Julius, Thanks for the insight. At least I'll be able to grow the Xanthasomas. I'm disappointed about the Columbian yam not being a Colocasia. The tuber looked like what I'd expect a large Colocasia tuber to be. If it grows as a vine (you said that it does), I guess I can sprout one to double check. You said that the mapuey and Columbian yam were both Dioscoreas but that the Dioscorea trifida was smaller. In fact, the mapuey was about 1/4th the size of the Columbian yam or smaller. Perhaps that ID was correct. Can you list some potential names for Colocasia tubers - names that would be used in a hispanic market catering predominantly to Puerto Ricans and Dominicans? There's not much of a Mexican, Cuban or Central American community here on Long island. I still hope to find a cheap source for large Colocasia esculenta tubers before next spring. Perhaps its time for one of our web pages to have a table with common grocery store name in one column and scientific name in the next column. I'd volunteer except that so far, I would be able to supply only 4 rows to this table and that was only with your help. Les +More >How lucky you are!! You have found a few interesting( and delicious!) Aroids >and a few VERY delicious non-aroids!! I believe that "mapuey", IF in fact it >is D. trifida, is the same as what Jamaicans call "yampey" and we Trinidadians >call "cuch-cush". It is without a doubt the smallest and THE finest tasting >(and the most costly ) of the Dioscoreas, and as far as I know the ONLY edible > >Dioscoria native to the New World. It may require a longer growing season >than you can provide, and grows as a substantial vine, with leaves reminiscent >of a bat-man logo! You can cook it like potato, and mash it with butter, use >it in soups, or make a shepard`s pie with it. Enjoy! > >>Columbian Yam looked very much like tubers of Colocasia esculenta. At >>$1.29 a pound it seems far more reasonable than the general cost in >>nurseries. Is Columbian Yam a Colocasia?<< > >I do not believe so, it prob. is a species of Dioscorea, called "white" or >"St. Vincent " yam in Trinidad. Coarser texture than Mapuey, but also good. > >>Yautia looked like (and probably is) a Xanthosoma. Can anyone identify >>Xanthosoma fla (presumably florida) and Xanthosoma lily?<< > >I believe that the "Xanthosoma fla" will probably be X. sagittifolia, and the >"Xanthosoma lily" (actually they are trying to say the spanish for "lilac", >it`s color) will be X. violacium. > >Sincerely, >Julius >ju-bo@msn.com

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