Pulaka
Encyclopedia
Pulaka or swamp taro, is a crop
grown in Oceania
(especially Tuvalu
) and an important source of carbohydrate
s for the area's inhabitants. It is a "swamp
crop" similar to taro
, but "with bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots." Pulaka roots need to be cooked for hours to reduce toxicity in the corm
s, but are rich in nutrients, especially calcium
. Pulaka is an important part of Tuvalu cultural and culinary tradition, now under threat from rising sea level
and displacement from the growing use of imported food products.
atoll
and is fertilized by adding leaves from different plants. The plants derive water from the freshwater lens found a few meters below the atoll. As such, the cultivation of pulaka is threatened by rising sea levels caused by global warming
: the plant does not thrive in the salt water which seeps into the pits: it rots the roots, turns the leaves yellow, and stunts the plant's growth. These saltwater intrusions occur more so now that the high tides have become higher, and more frequently flood the islands. To alleviate the problem of saltwater pollution, some islanders have begun to line the pits, side and bottom, with cement.
s are toxic, they must always be cooked, usually in an earth oven. Many of the recipes call for the addition of coconut cream
or toddy, or both. On Niutao
, coconut cream (lolo) is poured over beaten pulp of pulaka, to make a dish called tulolo. A similar dish on Nukufetau
, with halved corms, is called tulolo pulaka; with beaten corms the dish is called fakapapa. Fekei is made on all the islands, and consists of pulaka which is grated (typically this is woman's work) with the aid of limestone with holes drilled in it. The resulting pulp is wrapped in pulaka leaves and steamed, and mixed with coconut cream.
Preserving any food on the islands is difficult because of the hot climate. Pulaka is usually preserved by burying it in the ground, and it will keep up to three months. Women take cooked pulaka corms and slice them to dry them in the sun; after six days of drying, the slices (pulaka valuvalu) are packed in coconut containers and hung from roof beams, and will keep up to seven years. The dried substance can be cooked in coconut cream and water to create a dish called likoliko. On Nukufetao, puatolo is a dish made from grated pulaka and toddy, baked in the oven; when dried in the sun it will keep for three months.
Besides rising saltwater levels, "changing lifestyles and eating habits" also threaten the cultivation of the crop, a process that began during and after World War II
, when American occupying troops supplied the islands with imported foods and many pits were no longer maintained. Imported foods are often high in sugar, leading also to an increase in the need for dental care.
Crop
Crop may refer to:* Crop, a plant grown and harvested for agricultural use* Crop , part of the alimentary tract of some animals* Crop , a modified whip used in horseback riding or disciplining humans...
grown in Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
(especially Tuvalu
Tuvalu
Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
) and an important source of carbohydrate
Carbohydrate
A carbohydrate is an organic compound with the empirical formula ; that is, consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 . However, there are exceptions to this. One common example would be deoxyribose, a component of DNA, which has the empirical...
s for the area's inhabitants. It is a "swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
crop" similar to taro
Taro
Taro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...
, but "with bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots." Pulaka roots need to be cooked for hours to reduce toxicity in the corm
Corm
A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
s, but are rich in nutrients, especially calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
. Pulaka is an important part of Tuvalu cultural and culinary tradition, now under threat from rising sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
and displacement from the growing use of imported food products.
Cultivation
The crop is grown in pits dug into the limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
and is fertilized by adding leaves from different plants. The plants derive water from the freshwater lens found a few meters below the atoll. As such, the cultivation of pulaka is threatened by rising sea levels caused by global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
: the plant does not thrive in the salt water which seeps into the pits: it rots the roots, turns the leaves yellow, and stunts the plant's growth. These saltwater intrusions occur more so now that the high tides have become higher, and more frequently flood the islands. To alleviate the problem of saltwater pollution, some islanders have begun to line the pits, side and bottom, with cement.
Preparation and preservation
Pulaka makes up the bulk of the islanders' traditional diet; it is usually supplemented by fish. Since the unprocessed cormCorm
A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
s are toxic, they must always be cooked, usually in an earth oven. Many of the recipes call for the addition of coconut cream
Coconut cream
Coconut cream is very similar to coconut milk but contains less water. The difference is mainly consistency. It has a thicker, more paste-like consistency, while coconut milk is generally a liquid...
or toddy, or both. On Niutao
Niutao
Niutao is a reef island in the northern part of Tuvalu. It is one of the nine districts of Tuvalu, and one of the three who consist of only one island, not counting the three islets inside the closed lagoon. Niutao has a population of 663 .-Geography:There are two lakes , which are brackish to...
, coconut cream (lolo) is poured over beaten pulp of pulaka, to make a dish called tulolo. A similar dish on Nukufetau
Nukufetau
Nukufetau is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu. The atoll was claimed by the US under the Guano Islands Act some time in the 19th century and was ceded in a treaty of friendship concluded in 1979 and coming into force in 1983...
, with halved corms, is called tulolo pulaka; with beaten corms the dish is called fakapapa. Fekei is made on all the islands, and consists of pulaka which is grated (typically this is woman's work) with the aid of limestone with holes drilled in it. The resulting pulp is wrapped in pulaka leaves and steamed, and mixed with coconut cream.
Preserving any food on the islands is difficult because of the hot climate. Pulaka is usually preserved by burying it in the ground, and it will keep up to three months. Women take cooked pulaka corms and slice them to dry them in the sun; after six days of drying, the slices (pulaka valuvalu) are packed in coconut containers and hung from roof beams, and will keep up to seven years. The dried substance can be cooked in coconut cream and water to create a dish called likoliko. On Nukufetao, puatolo is a dish made from grated pulaka and toddy, baked in the oven; when dried in the sun it will keep for three months.
Cultural significance
The pits are dug and maintained by individual families over generations and have great cultural and personal significance: "The ownership and cultivation of the pulaka pits is an important part of family identity, cultural pride and survival. Encroachment of the salt water into the pulaka pit threatens the future of the people of Tuvalu." In addition, the secrets of producing the crop are often transferred from father to son, and when a father teaches his son how to plant pulaka, he is "practicing how to live like a man."Besides rising saltwater levels, "changing lifestyles and eating habits" also threaten the cultivation of the crop, a process that began during and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when American occupying troops supplied the islands with imported foods and many pits were no longer maintained. Imported foods are often high in sugar, leading also to an increase in the need for dental care.