KOLOKASI
English Name .. Taro
Latin Name ... Colocasia esculenta
Warning - kolokasi contains poisonous calcium oxalate which is broken down in cooking. Do not eat raw.
I thought I'd start with Kolokasi as I believe it's coming in to season (?).Not to everyone's taste I know. A bit like Marmite, it's either loved or loathed. I am very fond of it in that tomato rich red sauce with bits of fatty pork or chicken.
Here is the Wiki for its use in CY.....
"Cyprus
In Cyprus, taro has been in use since the time of the Roman Empire. Today it is known as "kolokassi" which is similar to the name the Romans used: colocasia. It is usually stewed with celery (and sometimes meat) in a tomato sauce"
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One of my old villages is in the Occupied Karpas, which was (perhaps still is) noted for its production of this National Delicacy. Apologies to those from the Kokkinochoria where I know a lower quality product is still grown.
Here's a picture of what it looks like above ground...
... and here is a picky of the corms....
In CY, as far as I know, only the corms are eaten but in other parts of the world the leaves and stems are also eaten.
Other parts of the world? Grown and eaten far and wide. Here's a list from Wiki .... Nigeria, Ghana, Nepal, Bangladesh, Spain, China, Polynesia, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, USA, Turkey (where it seems to be cultivated on the South Coast in Mersin (presumably including Mersin 10!) and Antalya) and in Hawaii where it is particularly liked to the extent that it has become a Nation Dish of sorts and where it seems to be grown in wet ponds called "l'oi" , almost paddy field like.
Here is a recipe for the pork version (apologies to tissy friends) from grouprecipes.com ....
"Ingredients
1 kilo pork loin, cut in portions
2 medium taros (kolokassi)
2-4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 can of whole tomatoes with juice blended in multi
salt & pepper
olive oil for frying
Directions
To prepare the kolokassi, cut the ends and peel the skin. Hold it with a paper napkin taking care that you do not soil rest of kolokassi.
Do not wash but towel dry.
With a sharp knife, cut across (1 ½ cm thick) halfway then break off. Repeat to the end. (I am not absolutely sure why this has to be done but If I remember correctly if this procedure is not followed and slices are cut all the way across without breaking off, this vegetable has a mucilaginous, sticky juice which will be released and the kolokassi will melt while cooking).
Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the kolokassi on both sides. Transfer to saucepan.
Sauté the meat and when turning over add the onions and sauté as well for a few minutes and then transfer all together including oil to sauce pan. Add the celery, salt and pepper and the tomatoes.
Add water, cover pan and reduce heat. Simmer for about an hour until both meat and kolokassi are tender and sauce is ready and thick.
Serve hot and you'll need a lot of pita bread to mop away the tasteful sauce."
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I'm reminded of an important point that an elderly relative told me about, that when prepering kolokasi in to chunks, don't cut it all the way through with a knife. Make a start with a knife and then break off in to chunks.
Well, hope you found the above interesting and informative, the humourous bit follows (and please, please take this with a pinch of salt) ......
Next time I'll bring you a potted history and a recipe for a dish from the distant past... spit-roasted tissy baby and for our tissy friends the grissy baby variant.
( Did I say take this with a pinch of salt? Better of course to use a handful if you want decent crackling. )
I hate that stuff, fried bullez is OK though
I thought u r a well knowledged, gibro-bridanigo chef; Richard the Liona Heart. 
