Poi is a traditional

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

in the

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

n diet, made from taro. Traditional poi is produced by mashing cooked taro on a wooden pounding board (), with a carved pestle () made from basalt, calcite, coral, or wood. Modern methods use an industrial

food processor A food processor is a kitchen appliance used to facilitate repetitive tasks in the preparation of food. Today, the term almost always refers to an electric-motor-driven appliance, although there are some manual devices also referred to as "food ...

to produce large quantities for retail distribution. This initial paste is called . Water is added to the paste during mashing, and again just before eating, to achieve the desired consistency, which can range from highly

viscous Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's rate-dependent resistance to a change in shape or to movement of its neighboring portions relative to one another. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of ''thickness''; for example, syrup h ...

to liquid. In Hawaii, this is informally classified as either "one-finger", "two-finger", or "three-finger", alluding to how many fingers are required to scoop it up (the thicker the poi, the fewer fingers required to scoop a sufficient mouthful). Poi can be eaten immediately, when fresh and sweet, or left to

ferment Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic compound, Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are Catabo ...

and become sour, developing a smell reminiscent of plain

yogurt Yogurt (; , from , ; also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to ...

. A layer of water on top can prevent fermenting poi from developing a crust.

History and culture

Poi is thought to have originated in the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...

, created some time after initial settlement from Polynesian explorers. While mashing food does occur in other parts of the Pacific, the method involved was more rudimentary. In western Polynesia, the cooked starch was mashed in a wooden bowl using a makeshift pounder out of either the stem of a coconut leaf or a hard, unripe

breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family ( Moraceae) believed to have been selectively bred in Polynesia from the breadnut ('' Artocarpus camansi''). Breadfruit was spread into ...

with several wooden pegs stuck into it. The origins of poi coincided with the development of basalt pounders in the Marquesas, which soon spread elsewhere in eastern Polynesia, with the exception of New Zealand and Easter Island. Ring type and Pedestal type Poi Pounders found only on the Island of Kauai on display at the Kauai Museum

Ring type and Pedestal type Poi Pounders found only on the Island of Kauai on display at the Kauai Museum

Poi was considered such an important and sacred aspect of daily Hawaiian life that Hawaiians believed that the spirit of Hāloa, the legendary ancestor of the Hawaiian people, was present when a bowl of poi was uncovered for consumption at the family dinner table. Accordingly, all conflict among family members was required to come to an immediate halt. Hawaiians traditionally cook the starchy, potato-like heart of the taro corm for hours in an underground oven called an ''imu'', which is also used to cook other types of food such as pork, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Breadfruit can also be made into poi (i.e. ''poi ʻulu''), but Hawaiians consider this inferior in taste to poi made from taro.

Fermentation

Poi has a paste-like texture and a delicate flavor when freshly prepared in the traditional manner, with a pale

purple Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...

color that naturally comes from the taro corm. It has a smooth, creamy

texture Texture may refer to: Science and technology * Image texture, the spatial arrangement of color or intensities in an image * Surface texture, the smoothness, roughness, or bumpiness of the surface of an object * Texture (roads), road surface c ...

. The flavor changes distinctly once the poi has been made; fresh poi is sweet and edible; each day thereafter, the poi loses sweetness and turns sour due to a natural fermentation that involves ''

Lactobacillus ''Lactobacillus'' is a genus of gram-positive, aerotolerant anaerobes or microaerophilic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria. Until 2020, the genus ''Lactobacillus'' comprised over 260 phylogenetically, ecologically, and metabolically div ...

'' bacteria,

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

s, and '' Geotrichum'' fungi. Therefore, some people find fermented poi more palatable if it is mixed with milk or sugar or both. The speed of this

fermentation Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...

process depends upon the bacterial level present in the poi, but the souring process can be slowed by storing poi in a cool, dark location. To prepare commercial poi that has been stored in a refrigerator, it is squeezed out of the bag into a bowl (sometimes adding water), and a thin layer of water is put over the part exposed to air to keep a crust from forming on top. New commercial preparations of poi require refrigeration, but stay fresh longer and taste sweeter. Sour poi is still edible, but may be less palatable, and is usually served with salted fish or Hawaiian lomi salmon on the side (as in the lyrics "my fish and poi"). Sourness can be prevented by freezing or dehydrating fresh poi, although the resulting poi after defrosting or rehydrating tends to taste bland when compared to the fresh product. Sour poi has an additional use as a cooking ingredient with a sour flavor (similar to

buttermilk Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in Western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most mode ...

), usually in breads and rolls.

Nutrition and dietary and medical uses

Taro is low in fat, high in

vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is an essential nutrient. The term "vitamin A" encompasses a group of chemically related organic compounds that includes retinol, retinyl esters, and several provitamin (precursor) carotenoids, most not ...

, and abounds in complex carbohydrates."Powered By Poi"
'' Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine'' Vol.11 No.4 (July 2007) Poi has been used specifically as a

milk substitute A milk substitute is any substance that resembles milk and can be used in the same ways as milk. Such substances may be variously known as non-dairy beverage, nut milk, grain milk, legume milk, mock milk and alternative milk. For adults, milk s ...

for babies, or as a

baby food Baby food is any soft, easily consumed Human food, food other than breastmilk or infant formula that is made specifically for human babies between six months and two years old. The food comes in many varieties and flavors that are purchased ready ...

. It is supposed to be easy to digest. It contains no

gluten Gluten is a structural protein naturally found in certain Cereal, cereal grains. The term ''gluten'' usually refers to the elastic network of a wheat grain's proteins, gliadin and glutenin primarily, that forms readily with the addition of water ...

, making it safe to eat for people who have

celiac disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine. Patients develop intolerance to gluten, which is present in foods such as wheat, rye, spel ...

or a gluten intolerance.

References

External links

The History of Poi

"Powered By Poi"
'' Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine'', Vol. 11, No. 4 (July 2007).
"Kipahulu Kitchen"
'' Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine'', Vol. 10 No. 2 (April 2006). Article about community commercial kitchen in Kipahulu,

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

, where poi is made.
"Poi"
YouTube video about the making of Poi. {{DEFAULTSORT:Poi (Food) Ancient dishes Cook Islands cuisine French Polynesian cuisine Fermented foods Native Hawaiian cuisine National dishes Oceanian cuisine Polynesian cuisine Porridges Staple foods Taro dishes

History and culture

Fermentation

Nutrition and dietary and medical uses

See also

References

Further reading

External links