Taro cultivation in Hawaii predates all outside contact — the Hawaiian variety of taro (kalo) is the plant the Polynesian voyagers brought in their navigation canoes, and taro agriculture shaped the cultural and spiritual life of Native Hawaiians for over a thousand years. Kalo is considered an ancestor in Native Hawaiian cosmology.
Poi — the fermented taro paste that is the traditional staple food of Native Hawaiian culture — is made from cooked taro corm (Colocasia esculenta) pounded on a smooth stone (pohaku ku'i 'ai) until completely smooth, then thinned with water to a consistency that is categorised by fingers: one-finger poi (thick, scooped with one finger), two-finger poi, three-finger poi (thin, almost pourable). Fresh poi is slightly sweet; aged poi (1–3 days of fermentation) develops lactic acidity.
Further training content for this entry is being completed.