Рет қаралды 66
We all make use of our island roadways, but when was the last time you paid attention to their given names?
Did you know you could learn more about Hawaiʻi and our history if you did?
Our weekly “Aloha Authentic” segment highlights various streets across the islands so we can dig into those names, and in turn, learn something new.
This week, we learn a little of the economics of poi.
In the ahupuaʻa of Waipiʻo, which lies in the moku of ʻEwa here on Oʻahu, stands a street with its name meaning “labor or worker.”
We are talking about Limahana St.
In ancient Hawaiʻi, kalo, or taro, was the staple crop brought to the islands in the canoes of the first settlers.
But it wasn’t cooked kalo that was preferred by Hawaiians.
Instead, it was its pounded and diluted form, known as poi.
Stories share that the average consumption of poi per person per day was approximately 4.5 pounds.
So, to keep up with everyone’s daily requirement of poi, production of the starch became the work of many hands.
As an example, for a community of 1,000 people, it required the cultivation of more than 200 acres of land.
To feed that amount of people, its estimated 400,000 cuttings would have needed to be planted.
In addition to that, over a year’s time, approximately 1,000,000 pounds of poi was required to be made.
With the technique of hand pounding kalo with a stone, it would have taken 250,000 hours to make that amount.
So why was the laborious poi preferred rather than just cooked kalo?
One possibility is the ability to preserve it.
By storing kalo in its paste form in non-porous containers, like wooden bowls or coconut shells, its shelf life could be extended by weeks.
Did you know? Now you do!