Issue 20: Pia

Ihea `oe i ka wa* a ka ua e loku ana?
Where were you when the rain was pouring?
A reference to fair-weather friends; those who disappear when times are difficult.

Organism of the Week!  Pia, Tacca leontopetaloides

This is not Pia.  The internet has a dearth of
pictures of the plant, but this is a similar species
I believe.

Celebrate, my vast readership!  For today we cover pia, the starchy root that allowed Hawaiians to make the tasty dessert haupia!
Pia is one of the plants ancient Polynesians brought with them in their canoes when they first voyaged across the Pacific to Hawaii.  Pia is the Polynesian arrowroot and is bitter and starchy when it's not in the delicious form of haupia. 
The plant grows to be 1 to 3 feet tall and grows in wet woods at low altitudes.  It was so useful that it was widely cultivated alongside taro.  The leaves also die off in the winter and the root will remain dormant until spring to sprout up again.
Hawaiians processed the root by grating or pounding it in a bowl and let it sit with water.  The starch would settle to the bottom and the bitterness would be released into the water.  The water would be poured out daily and replaced with fresh water while the starch sat at the bottom.  This would draw out all the bitterness, apparently.  Once it was gone, the starch would be spread on flat rocks to dry, then scraped off and ground into a powder.  If the starch was not needed immediately it was formed into small cakes and stored.
Is that not amazing?  I think it's pretty amazing.  I love learning about how ancient peoples did things and this is right up my alley.  Also, I mentioned that this root is how haupia was made to Ryan and he popped right up to make some.  Haupia moves people :)
Anyways.  The starch would be mixed with coconut milk then steamed or baked to make haupia.  The starch could be used the way starch is in many households, to stiffen fabrics.  But it also had medicinal properties - the starch could be mixed with water and alae to cure dysentery and diarrhea.

By Sabrina Robello
Sourced: Here mostly, an excellent site for Hawaiian canoe plant information

Community Events
Green Drinks - Tues. Feb. 5, 5:30pm-7:30pm, P.F. Chang's
Networking with conservation-minded business peoples.
Kako`o `Oiwi - Sat, Feb. 9, 8:30am-12pm; 46-403 Kamehameha Highway Kāneʻohe HI 96744
Lo`i work day!

* I've decided to tackle the issue of kahako's with a strikethrough.  If someone knows how to do this on a blog, please let me know.