Colocasia esculenta

Colocasia esculenta is a plant of the family of the Aracées, generally known under the vernacular Nom generic of taro and cultivated in the tropical areas for its root thickened approximately farinaceous tuber, with the flesh of cream-coloured color to pink, dry texture and taste close to that of the Sweet potato. The term indicates also the tuber itself.

Description

Etymology

Scientific name: Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott. Family of the Aracée S, subfamily of the Aroideae , tribe of the Colocasieae . Chinese Sinogramme: 芋.

Common nouns: taro or colocase . Taro is a word borrowed from the Tahitien. With the Meeting and the Mauritius, this plant is known under the name of dream or arouille violet . In Guyana, Martinique and Guadeloupe one calls it dachine or Madeira or cabbage of China .

One finds sometimes the name of Eddo to indicate the tuber or the plant.

Biology

It is a herbaceous, long-lived plant by its Rhizome tuberous, which forms a corme, Tubercule of scaly aspect, with thick skin, resulting from the underground thickening of this rhizome. The sheets with long Petiole S, long from 60 to 70 cm, peltate, with limb Cordiforme or sagitté, are rather decorative. The wrapped cylindrical inflorescence of long a spathe is the spadice characteristic of Aracées. The fruits are small unilocular bays.

+ Taro: Colocasia esculenta Family of the ARACEAE (Vern.au Gabon: Nkwa, Atu, Atsu, Dilanga, Tsanga, Monengé, Djodo, Muha, Elendé,…)

True Colocasia or taro, is a hardy perennial by its tuberous rhizome, of variable size, from which are born, carried by long petioles, large peltate sheets being able to reach 70 cm length on 60 cm of width, of color more or less dark green; large and beautiful, with a long green or purple petiole, engainant at the base, they have a limb cordiforme at the base, sometimes a little sagitté, purple or green the narrow spathe is rolled up in horn slightly bent at the top; the spadice is finished by an acuminate and pink appendix. The inflorescences are presented in the form of spadice. The female flowers occupy the base of the spadice, the upper part being furnished by the male flowers. The plant is cultivated for its tubers but also for its let us turions or claws (starts-up) which are eaten like the " épinards". The tubers are eaten cooked with water or on ember, sometimes out of mashed potatoes or roasted in the groundnut or palm oil in West Africa in Gabon. Originating in India, the taro is currently cultivated in all the wet tropical areas for its tubers. The taros multiply by cutting. One associates them with other plants such as the yams and eggplant. The plantation must be made at the beginning of the rain season. Its vegetative cycle extends from 8 to 18 months. The plant requires a sufficient moisture of the ground. The young sheets are collected as soon as the need is felt. The harvest of the tubers can be carried out as soon as the oldest sheets decay: 6 to 7 months after plantation for the taro. The production is very often consumed car, rather seldom marketed.

The plant seems originating in Asia, but was spread as of the prehistoric time in all the Oceania and the tropical America. It was introduced rather tardily in Africa.

The multiplication of the taro is done by division of the tuber, by preserving an eye by fragment. The once unearthed tuber is preserved rather badly.

Food value

The tuber is relatively rich in Amidon, approximately 30 to 33%, but low in Protéine S (1 to 2%) and in Lipide S. Cru, it is bitter and irritating because of the presence of crystals of oxalate of calcium. It should well be cooked to avoid this nuisance. It prepares like the Potato and can also be the base of desserts. The young sheets are sometimes consumed, cooked well.

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