There are four main types of taro in the Pacific Islands, Two are Colocasia esculenta (true taro) and Cyrtosperma (giant swamp taro).
The other two types of Pacific Islands taro are Xanthosoma (palagi taro) and and Alocasia (giant taro).
You can eat almost every part of the taro plant. The taro corm is a good source of energy (starch).
Taro can be made into chips and pounded to be made into pa'i'ai and poi. You can also use the raw corm as fish bait.
The stems of the taro can be cut into pieces and used as a vegetable in any dish. The leaves can be eaten but need careful preparation and cooking otherwise then can cause an itchy throat.
