Kulolo

Kūlolo

Kūlolo

Hawaiian dessert using coconut milk

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]

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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]

See also

  • Haupia – Polynesian coconut milk pudding
  • Dodol – Indonesian sweet toffee
  • Po'e – Polynesian pudding

References

    1. [1]
      Thompson, Rod (September 14, 2001). "They don't make it like they used to, but it's still kulolo :The ancient Hawaiian candy will be for sale at a fund-raiser in Kalapana tomorrow". archives.starbulletin.com. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    2. [2]
      Pukui, Mary Kawena; Elbert, Samuel Hoyt (1986). Hawaiian dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian (Revised and enlarged ed.). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0824807030.
    3. [3]
      Toth Fox, Catherine (28 May 2015). "Crazy for Kulolo, Kauai's Dessert Staple". Hawaii Magazine. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    4. [4]
      Brickwood (1896). Hawaiian Cook Book (4th ed.). Honolulu, Hawaii: Hawaiian Gazette Company. p. 132. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
    5. [5]
      Warriner, E. V. (July 1916). Scudder, Doremus (ed.). The Ninety-Fourth Annual Conference of the Hawaiian Evangelical Association. Honolulu, Hawaii: Volume LXXIV. The Friend. p. 150. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
    6. [6]
      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.
    7. [7]
      O'Connor, Kaori (June 2008). "The Hawaiian Luau: Food as Tradition , Transgression , Transformation and Travel". Food, Culture & Society. 11 (2): 149–172. doi:10.2752/175174408X317543. ISSN 1552-8014. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
    8. [8]
      "Entries for RORO.1 [EP] Brains matter, bone marrow; spongy matter". Polynesian Lexicon Project Online. POLLEX-Online. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    9. [9]
      "Entries for LOLO.1A [PN] Coconut cream or oil". Polynesian Lexicon Project Online. POLLEX-Online. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    10. [10]
      "Kū-". Nā Puke Wehewehe ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Ulukau. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    11. [11]
      "Catherine Kekoa Enomoto - By Request". Archived from the original on 2002-11-07. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
    12. [12]
      Lum, Relle (20 February 2020). "Instant Pot Kulolo Recipe Using Only 3 Ingredients". Keeping It Relle. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    13. [13]
      Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin. Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press. 1972. pp. 153–154. ISBN 978-0-910240-11-6. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    14. [14]
      "Entries for PIERE.1 [CE] Pudding of grated taro, banana, etc: Kind of food made from banana, breadfruit or taro". Polynesian Lexicon Project Online. POLLEX-Online. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    15. [15]
      Central Union Church, Ladies Society (1896). Hawaiian Cook Book (4th ed.). Honolulu: Hawaiian Gazette Company. p. 132. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    16. [16]
      "Piele". Wehe wiki Hawaiian Language Dictionaries. University of Hawaii at Hilo - Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    17. [17]
      "Pepei.eʻe". Nā Puke Wehewehe ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Ulukau. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    18. [18]
      "Kōʻelepālau". Kokua Hawaii Foundation. May 30, 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
    19. [19]
      McLaren, L. L. (1915). Pan-Pacific Cook Book: Savory Bits from the World's Fare. Blair-Murdock Company. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-4404-7256-5. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    20. [20]
      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.
    21. [21]
      Malo, David (1898). Emerson, N. B. (ed.). Hawaiian Antiquities: (Moolelo Hawaii) (English 1903 ed.). Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii: Honolulu Gazette Co. p. 189.
    22. [22]
      Johnstone, Arthur (1905). Recollections of Robert Louis Stevenson in the Pacific. London, UK: Chatto & Windus. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-8414-5324-1.
    23. [23]
      "Hawaii's Best Kulolo Taro Pudding Mix". Snack Hawaii. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    24. [24]
      Fujii-Oride, Noelle (29 September 2020). "How to Mail Order Kaua'i Poi and Kūlolo". Hawaii Magazine. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    25. [25]
      Sewake, Bianca (16 July 2015). "It's National Ice Cream Month! Try these 10 spots serving up Hawaii-made favorites". Hawaii Magazine. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
    26. [26]
      Maeda, Grace (13 July 2021). "7-Eleven in Hawaiʻi is Amazing—Here's Why". Hawaii Magazine. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
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