Kūlolo is a Hawaiian dish made with taro and coconut. Considered a pudding, kūlolo has a chewy and solid consistency like fudge or Southeast Asian dodol, with a flavor similar to caramel or Chinese nian gao.[1][2] Because taro is widely cultivated on the island of Kauai, taro products such as kūlolo is often associated with the island.[3] It is a well-beloved dish well documented by many non-Hawaiians since the late 1800s,[4] sometimes found during festive occasions like at lūʻau.[5][6][7]
Etymology
The Hawaiian word kūlolo is a cognate of the Eastern Polynesian term "roro" which describes "brains matter, bone marrow; spongy matter,"[8] which itself is derived from Nuclear Polynesian "lolo" which describes "coconut cream or oil",[9] while "kū" is a qualitative and stative prefix.[10]
Preparation
Traditional kūlolo recipes call for wrapping a mixture of grated taro and coconut cream in ti leaves and baking it in an imu (underground oven) for 6 to 8 hours. Modern recipes call for baking the mixture in a baking pan in an oven,[11] or steaming in a pressure cooker.[12]
Variations
Piele (antiquated piepiele)[13] is another name associated with puddings made in a similar manner to kūlolo.[14][15] It also refers to the grated or pulverized raw ingredients—including taro, sweet potato, breadfruit, yam, or banana—that are mixed with coconut milk to make this dish.[16]Pepeieʻe (or paipaieʻe) is a baked pudding made from the overripe fruits of banana or breadfruit mixed with coconut milk.[17]Kōʻelepālau is a similar pudding made with sweet potato and coconut milk. However, the coconut milk is added after the sweet potatoes are cooked separately.[18]
Today
While kūlolo remains fairly popular, it is unclear why piele and pepeieʻe fell out of favor in modern times. All these puddings, including kōʻelepālau and haupia, were well-documented throughout the late 1800s to early 1900s,[19][20][21] including by the famed author Robert Louis Stevenson during his visits.[22]
A powdered kūlolo mix using dehydrated taro powder is available for those who do not have access to fresh taro.[23]Kūlolo is also found as a filling in lumpia, as an accompaniment to, and as a flavor for, ice cream.[24][25][26]
^Pukui, Mary Kawena; Elbert, Samuel Hoyt (1986). Hawaiian dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian (Revised and enlarged ed.). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN0824807030.
^M.D.; Goodhue, E. S. (1917). Ford, Alexander Hume; Mellen, George (eds.). The Man in the Malo (1 ed.). Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii: Volume XIII. Mid-Pacific Magazine. p. 391.
^Central Union Church, Ladies Society (1896). Hawaiian Cook Book (4th ed.). Honolulu: Hawaiian Gazette Company. p. 132. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
^"Piele". Wehe wiki Hawaiian Language Dictionaries. University of Hawaii at Hilo - Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
^Andrews, Lorrin (1922). Parker, Henry H. (ed.). A Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language. Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii: Board of Commissioners of Public Archives. p. 541.
^Malo, David (1898). Emerson, N. B. (ed.). Hawaiian Antiquities: (Moolelo Hawaii) (English 1903 ed.). Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii: Honolulu Gazette Co. p. 189.
