What makes poi

I am a bit confused on fermentation. The taro root is cooked, so all bacteria are dead it is aseptic , so it seems that a starter culture would be needed to added to the cooked taro to initiate proper fermentation and not rotting. I did a bit more research just now, and found a paper where the authors tried to determine the bacteria in poi.

Based on phenotypical analysis, five bacterial strains isolated from fresh poi are identified as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactococcus lactis lactis, Leuconostoc citreum and Leuconostoc lactis individually. The gas-producing bacterial strain first identified as Lactobacillus acidophilus is finally identified as Weissella confusa by combining the results of phenotypical analysis and genotypical analysis.

On the mainland I might need to control the temp of the fermenting poi, at least in the winter. I was raised in Hawaii but I now live in Washington State. It never really got to a poi consistency. It was more like a startchy patato mash. I got these very large Taro roots from a Ranch 99 Asian market. Do you need a specific type of Taro?

Aloha e Ron, mahalo for your comment. Your results sound similar to what happens when trying to reheat frozen poi in a bag — when you reheat the poi and stir it, it looks a little chunky or gritty.

Only then can you start slowly adding cold water to the mix so that it retains the consistency we all know and love! I hope this helps. If it ferments without the water on top, is it still good to eat? I want to make this for my students.

We teach a unit on Hawaii and I thought it would be fun for them to try. How much will this make? I have 60 students to make this for. Hi Heather. I just came across your recipe for making poi. My local supermarket also sells taro. I have loved poi all my life. You might say I get cravings for it. I want to try making it so I can have it whenever I want. One question: when you make it in the food processor, is it better that the cooked taro is warm or should it be at room temperature?

Thank you for sharing the recipe! I just finished making this recipe and I am very excited. All batches had to be destroyed and the sale of poi was prohibited. Because poi was a staple food for most Hawaiian families, the government began to distribute free poi throughout the islands until the creation of the poi bill which regulated its production. You were a delight to work with and I will definitely use you again the next time we rent a home in the islands. It was almost like a dream.

We are ready to do this again with Hawaii Hideaways — you guys are the best. Everything was perfect!!! It was in an outstanding experience from beginning to end, I would work with Hawaii hideaways again in the future unquestionably.

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