taro tops

In Hawaii, "taro tops" primarily refers to the large, heart-shaped leaves of the kalo (taro) plant, known traditionally as lūʻau leaves. Local cooks and farmers use this term frequently when preparing traditional dishes like laulau or squid lūʻau, where the leaves are wrapped around meat or stewed down with coconut milk. It can also refer to the "huli," which is the very top of the taro corm attached to the stem, used by farmers to replant the next crop.

The phrase is completely standard in local kitchens and farms, though visitors should be aware that taro tops must be cooked thoroughly. Eating them raw or undercooked causes severe irritation to the mouth and throat due to microscopic calcium oxalate crystals.

The sun wasn't even up over Haleakala yet, and the Makawao air was freezing, but Elvie was already banging pots in the kitchen. She stared at the muddy plastic bag on the counter and let out a sharp hiss of breath. Kimo was supposed to bring her decent greens for the laulau, but half of what he dropped off looked like it had been chewed by feral pigs.

"Ji-Young!" Elvie yelled toward the hallway, not caring who was still sleeping. "Come look what your husband brought me. I tell him go down Keanae get the good stuff, and he bring me these junk taro tops. Half the stems stay all buss up, and the leaves get holes!"

Ji-Young shuffled into the kitchen, wrapping her fleece jacket tighter against the Upcountry chill. She took one look at the sad pile of greens and sighed, knowing she'd be the one stuck washing and trimming them for the next two hours while Kimo snored in the other room. Elvie just kept muttering under her breath, aggressively hacking away at the stems with her favorite paring knife.