Taro

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/taro

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is Taro known for?Provides complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese
2. What is the primary edible component?The corm, a swollen underground stem rich in starch and fiber
3. What is taro and why has it been eaten for so long?Taro is a root vegetable that people have grown for more than 10,000 years, first in Southeast Asia or India. It has been a staple food in many cultures because it is easy to grow and very nutritious.
4. How do people make taro safe to eat?Taro contains calcium oxalate crystals that can irritate the mouth, so it is cooked and often pounded, like when making poi, to neutralize them and make it safe to eat.

Domestication: The process by which wild plants are selectively bred over generations to become more useful to humans.
Edaphic Conditions: Relating to the soil, including its physical and chemical characteristics, which affect plant growth.
Food Security: The condition of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.