I have a potted Dasheen/Taro/Malanga in the greenhouse. It’s hot enough where I can plant it in the ground now. That might be the one used in Grenada and Carriacou. We ate at a restaurant on Carriacou called Callaloo, where I first tried it. The sign outside had a painting of either dasheen/taro (Colocasia esculenta) or Xanthosoma. Maybe I’ll try cooking some young Dasheen leaves and very carefully testing it before using it in a recipe.
This video on making Callaloo is gold!
When he’s peeling the taro/dasheen leaf stems (petioles) I’m not sure if he’s saying “sticky” or “stinging”. Again, raphides are a concern. This from Wiki:
" Young taro leaves and stems can be eaten after boiling twice to remove the acrid flavor. The leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C and contain more protein than the corms.
In its raw form, the plant is toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate,[51][52] and the presence of needle-shaped raphides in the plant cells. However, the toxin can be minimized and the tuber rendered palatable by cooking,[53] or by steeping in cold water overnight."
The steeping in cold water does not sound plausible. Boiling twice and changing the water is also likely false; the raphides do not dissolve quickly. Long cooking makes more sense and the blender (or swizzle stick) might also help break up the crystals.
In any case, small tastings! I’ve been tortured by raphides in Arisaema triphylla (Jack-in-the-Pulpit). The stinging sensation lasts for hours! Dasheen has been cultivated for so long, I’m sure it was selected for lower raphide content. Still…
