Ola Kanaka
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NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
1 average cup of cooked kalo (root) or poi has at LEAST*:
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3.87 mg (35% RDA) Vitamin E
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6.6 mg (11% RDA) of Vitamin C
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639 mg (14 % RDA) Potassium
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.44 mg (34% RDA) B6
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Other B vitamins (B1, B5, Folate, and others)
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just 187 calories, less than 1/5 gram of fat, and 7 grams of dietary fiber.
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Contains many trace minerals.
Source: USDA Nutrient sheet. RDA is for average adult.
* NOTE: Taro tested by USDA was NOT Hawaiian poi taro, which is denser and generally more nutritious than Chinese and other varieties. Cooked taro in other parts of the world is also generally done by soaking cubed taro overnight in water to eliminate calcium oxilate crystals, whereas the Hawaiian method is to cook longer (traditionally in an underground imu), retaining the content of calcium and other components that are reduced in the USDA breakdown.
KALO
Nā aliʻi o ke kuamoʻo o Hāloa
The chiefs (are) of the lineage of Hāloa
Chiefs pride themselves in being able to trace their genealogy all the way to the first man, who was brother of the first taro.
-ʻōlelo noʻeau
Hāloa, the first kalo, was the elder brother of Hāloa, the first man, according to our moʻolelo. Thus, we have a familial relationship betwen kalo and human beings: we serve our elder brother, and he feeds us.
Kalo regenerates through huli, the stalk that is prepared when root and leaves are cut. "Huli" also means "to overturn", and represents the cycle and continuation of life.
The cultivation and eating of kalo is central to the Hawaiian world. It is believed that this is not only a nourishing physical food, but a crucial spiritual food as well. Working in the loʻi mud is considered extremely important to Hawaiian well-being.
Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is grown all over the world, in great quantity. But nowhere on earth is there such a deep, intensive ʻohana connection between taro and people as there is in Hawaiʻi between kanaka and our kalo.
Did you Know?
Poi is one of the world's most digestible foods. It makes an excellent baby food, or recovery food for sick people. Thinned, fresh poi taken with a little paʻakai or shoyu restores electrolyte balance in children or adults recovering from dehydration through vomiting or diarrhea.
Better than sports drinks!
