Some time back I had posted a picture on Twitter of a dark brown “root”.
My question was, what this unusual edible plant was called in any language, the feedback as expected was that nobody knew or ever had seen this funny looking “vegetable” before.
The joke was that I had asked previously my family members and neighbors in Goa if they knew it.
Well, they recognized it, some people even ate it several times in the past but nobody actually knew a name!
This was intriguing!
The day when I had the chance to visit the mapusa market I had come across it.
Between the chaos, noise, different languages and crowds I met a lady (whose picture I can’t post) who seemed to not really fit into the merchant class.
She was a typical Goan catholic, dressed in a European fashion, clean neat, with a clear English and an educated air.
She caught my eyes, even though she seemed to disappear in the huge market area.
What else caught my attention were those dark brown, round shaped things.
In all my years in Goa i had not seen anything like that!
Unfortunately I had forgotten the name she was calling the roots, first of all I could barely understand her in the noise pollution and the constant pushing in the market and secondly I had no pen and paper to write it down.
But at least I knew that I had to boil it, that’s how she had explained it to me.
My husband was exited to test the veggies out and boiled it the same day for 20 minutes till they were softer inside.
After that, one needed only to peel it and eat it plain.
Anyway… one fine day one of the older neighbor ladies past by our house and I had the chance to ask her what it was named.
Actually by now the whole compound was eager to know what it was called.
I had stirred their interest with my passion for discoveries.
The old lady of course knew what it was, she called it karaino (in Konkani language).
But unluckily the konkani name didn’t help me in my online research, only 2 weeks later, going deeper and deeper in my research I finally had a plant name and even better, an English name.
This particular root is called Dioscorea bulbifera, better known as Air Potato in English ( Yam species).
Other names are Varahi Kand (Hindi), Kaachil (Malayalam), Dukkar Kand (Marathi), Karaino ( Konkani) and l’hoffe (french).
For more names in different languages here.
It is native in Asia, Africa and Florida in the US, were the later it is considered an invasive exotic pest plant, growing and spreading aggressively.
The plant is called Air potato because the edible bulbs grow on the surface and not in the mud.
An other reason why I guess it is called like that is because the bulbs, which are considered as fruits, are feather light, even after boiling.
In India it is used in the traditional Ayurvedic medicine in numerous ways.
The most common uses are to treat diarrhea, sore throats and jaundice.
In Goa it is known to have anti Diabetic properties, which is the main reason of its use here.
Interestingly the air potato contains a steroid called diosgenin , which in turn is used in the west in commercial synthetic steroidal hormones such as the Contraceptive pill and which is further used by bodybuilders and man to boost the testosterone.
For some reason though, this plant has been barely researched.
There are claims that the Potato is poisonous in uncultivated forms, which I feel is applicable in small amounts when consumed raw.
BUT there is a confusion over actual toxicity (a simple Potato can be poisonous too if eaten raw)!
Many different cultures allege different uses and in fact researches are still going on till to date.
Here in Goa, the locals boil it for 15-20 min in the skin and eat it plain.
Apparently it isn’t used in any other way, but I have found a page online (here) which suggests that it can be used as vegetable in curries.
What I did is, I simply boiled it separately and added it to our common Veg Sorak Curry, which tasted by the way no way differently then without the air potatoes.
At least it can be integrated that way in our daily nutrition.
The Potato itself tastes quite plain, in fact it reminded me of Green Tea because of the slight bitterness.
The fruit is hard as stone unboiled, the skin is dark brown, uneven and very thick, while the core is starchy soft orange/brown colored.
Some of the Potatoes are not bigger then 2 cm in breadth, others reach a size of 6 cm.
The plants seem to be very strong and grows very quickly to a huge size.
My Air Potatoes have started to root in the past days, so I ll plant them in the days to come, so I ll be able to tell you more on how to manage the growth later on.
I found 2 more interesting pages all around the air potato here and here.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comment section further below!
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dora peris says
I too tasted it today first time in my life. My colleague brought it from her native place Raigad district
Rosie says
Dear Helene
This article is exactly what I was looking for when researching “air potato Goa”. Thanks for sharing and I’m looking forward to working through your many interesting and informative posts.
Rosie
Helene Dsouza says
Hi Rosie, so glad you found something useful here. It’s quite an interesting plant isn’t it? 😉 Enjoy your time here at masala herb and if you have any questions, please let me know. cheers!
Terra says
AND that is why I love your blog! This was a really interesting post, and I love how determined you are:-) I look forward to reading if you share a recipe with them:-) Hugs, Terra
Charles Smith says
Haha, what an awesome name… I’ve never heard of it, nor know of any recipes alas. It looks a bit like a jerusalem artichoke on the outside… and a bit like a steak on the inside (lol). I’d love to see if I can find these… they look really fun 🙂
Yummychunklet says
I’ve never heard of these. Thanks for sharing!
Louise Volper says
WOW, Helene, another new ingredient to add to my ever growing list of Masalaherb exotics:)
Thank you so much for researching the Air Potato and sharing it with us…
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
What a fascinating ingredient! I’ve never heard of air potatoes before but I really want to try one now 😀 They look like a cross between a truffle and nutmeg!
Lizzy Do says
Well, your perseverance paid off…air potatoes, eh? I wonder if any of our Floridian bloggers have seen this in their markets? Thanks for sharing…so interesting!
Helene Dsouza says
I doubt they have seen it in the market cause in flordia they are actualy having troubel getting rid of them, it seems its so bad that they oraganize pest removal groups, just to collect the plants before they take over the neighborehood.
Baltic Maid says
Wow, I loved reading about this “air potato”. I have never heard of it or seen it before. Thanks for sharing your discovery!
Tina@flourtrader says
This was a very interesting read on a new food/plant. Funny how it is familiar to some in Goa but not everybody. However, it does sound like they are being cultivated for medicinal properties more than just eating.
Also, congrats on your awards!
Helene Dsouza says
It has a few health benefits, but then all edible plants have useful nutrients. They are grown and cultivated to eat in Africa and some parts of india, so its not realy a medecine.
Rosa May says
An interesting vegetable! I wonder how it can be prepared (curry?)
cheers,
Rosa
Javelin Warrior says
Wow, I’ve never heard of air potatoes before and what an interesting post. They obviously look nothing like the varieties of potatoes available in the US, but if I squint they do vaguely remind me of a tiny dark-peel yam 😉 Thanks so much for sharing…
Helene Dsouza says
yes u r correct and as mentioned above its part of the Yam species.
Sanjeeta kk says
Oh yes..I have seen these small muddy cousin of Yam family! My MIL prepares it with loads of tamarind to reduce the harshness it causes to the throat…unfortunately it did not suit me, got itching in my throat. But it tastes good. Cook like any other Indian curry with tamarind sauce in it.
And you do need to rub it on a hard surface and clean several times with fresh water to get rid of the sticky mud/clay on the skin.
Helene Dsouza says
you ment to say that the tamarind is the causeof the itching throat, because the air potato itself doesnt cause that. Interessting way of preparing them, I ll research a bit more into this combination. Thanks for all your useful tips Sanjeeta!
Magic of Spice says
I have never seen these before, they sound fascinating…will have to keep my eyes out for them 🙂
Congratulations on you awards!
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef says
I thought it was a nut when I first glanced but the photo of one cut in two does look like a sweet potato. What a great post!
Hotly Spiced says
I have learned a lot from reading this post. I had no idea about this root. I thought it was chocolate when I first saw the image and thought you were doing another Easter post. I was quite surprised when I found out what it was xx
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
At my first sight, I thought this is chocolate… LOL. I may be thinking about chocolate all day long, but I really thought it’s a chocolate dessert. 😉 Very interesting! I love potatoes and think I know all kinds in Japan, but never seen this one before. Find some veggies and quiz us sometimes!!
Helene Dsouza says
apparently this root exists in japan because it is used when one has diabetes, just like in goa. yep I ll quiz more in twitter in the coming weeks. =D
Aparna B. @ Not A Leaf says
First off, congrats on all the awards! You and your blog definitely deserve them! <3 Secondly, this is such an interesting fruit…root…vegetable.?? So unique and new to me! I have never cooked with it and I doubt my parents have either, but it looks like you found a great way to use it in an every day dish! 🙂 Just shows how versatile of a blogger you are 😉 <3
Helene Dsouza says
thank you Aparna!
To research about this rare,unknown plants, you have to talk to totaly local people. If they are willing they ll tell their knowledge. I think so its fun to learn, discover and share interessting knowledge.
Joanne says
I’ve never seen or heard of this kind of potato before but it’s always fun to learn about new veggies!
Liz says
Great post – I love being introduced to new fruits and vegetables. Sounds really interesting.
Cass @foodmyfriend says
They look like little truffles! I love potatoes but have never seen or heard about these!
Helene Dsouza says
I thought the same thing that they looked like truffels! lol
Cher says
Thanks for sharing – it is always interesting to learn more about vegetables that are not so common to us in other countries.
Sissi says
Very intriguing and unusual. Thanks for the discovery!
Asmita says
Hi Helene,
I have had this potato and it is really delicious. It is so light and I could eat a lot of them in one sitting.