[Sca-cooks] taro

[Susan Lord]

> Stefan wrote:
> 
> Urtatim replied to me with:
> <<< Taro, colocasia esculenta, qulqas in Arabic, appears in nearly every medieval Arabic-language cookbook i have seen, including some not yet translated into English, from ibn Sayyar al-Qarraq's 10th c. collection of 9th and 10th c. recipes from Baghdad to 13th c. cookbooks from al-Andalus, to cookbooks from Mamluk Egypt (1270-1600).>>>
> 
> Wow. A lot more widespread than I thought and apparently more used. I'd only really heard it associated with the SW Pacific islands.
> 
> <<< You have some of his recipes in the Florilegium under the Spanish spelling "Tugibi", in which "fat" is translated as *lard*, something no Muslim would ever touch. >>>
> 
> Oh! Is this in some of the Spanish manuscripts? If so, was it known in Spain or were they just talking about it being cooked in other cultures? Is the translation wrong to call it "lard" or is the original Spanish(?) wrong?
> 
> <<< My translation is still in rough form. Once i get the whole book translated, i'll be smoothing out all the translations. >>>
> 
> What are your plans for it when you complete it?
> 
> Thanks,
>   Stefan

My blog, "Medieval Spanish Chef Colocasia blog defines taro as follows:
"Gr. kolocasia, L. Colocasia antiquorum or Colocasia esculenta Eng. taro or colocaia taro, arrow root, elephant ear. It is believed to be a native of India, where it was cultivated some 7,000- 10,000 years ago. It was of the earliest cultivated plants. It spread through the South Pacific and the Mediterranean, especially Egypt and Africa. Arabs brought it to Spain in 714 with sugar cane. The plant needs abundant water and takes from 7 to 18 months to grow depending on soil conditions. It grows only in humid tropics, in wetlands or irrigated areas. The leaves and tubers, which look like potatoes, are eaten. Tubers are baked, roasted or boiled. They are rich in  vitamins and starch. Arabs added taro to lentils. They fried or boiled them to make a broth served with meat. One recipe calls for them being served with meat and yogurt. Taro can be made into a pudding. Ibn Razīn provides a variation of lentils with taro. It has been a common staple in numerous countries as the root contains easily digestible starch like the potatoIt should be eaten immediately once cut. It should not be eaten raw for the toxic content. After peeling, it is sliced and boiled or baked under ashes or an oven. As the potato, it can be served with a variety of foods. 
"Apicius mentions several methods for preparing taro, including boiling it, preparing it with sauces, and cooking it with meat or fowl. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the use of taro dwindled in Europe. This was largely due to the decline of trade and commerce with Egypt, previously controlled by Rome. Taro has remained popular in the Canary Islands. " 

[Kiple. 2000:I:218-229:474:475; II:1866; Ibn Razīn/Granja. 1960:377:29; and Perry. “Kitāb.” 200 : 1474:475]

This blog also provides my adaption of the Fadalat recipe for lentils in hollandaise sauce, which calls for taro.