[Sca-cooks] Posting Menu- Trimaris Spring Coronation

[Terry Decker]

I'm curious, what basis did you use for choosing to fry the taro rather than 
boil it?  Both the Vehling and the Flower and Rosenbaum translations of 
Apicius state in footnotes that the taro was probably boiled.  In examining 
the other recipes in Apicius that call for taro, the ones that connect it 
with a specific cooking method call for it to be boiled.

Bear

> *Colocasia- a starchy root similar to potato fried in olive oil with a 
> sweet and spicy dipping sauce- Apicius
>
> *Note on the colocasia- this was both surprisingly easy to find and 
> surprisingly delicious. It was sold at our local "hippy" grocery store 
> (Wards in Gainesville, FL) under its common name, Taro root. I found the 
> fact that this plant is an exotic invasive in Florida and I could dig it 
> out of the waterways as a public service amusing. The roots are hairy and 
> thin-skinned, the size and shape of small potatoes. I peeled them and 
> soaked them in cold water, as they oxidize immediately and their sap is 
> rather slimy. Then I cut them up in chunks, dried them well, and 
> deep-fried them until golden in olive oil. The fried chunks taste like 
> starchy potatoes. Delicious! My taste-testers were excited that I was 
> going to serve "period french fries" at feast.
>
> Madhavi
>