Have you ever heard of poi? Have you tried poi? If you have, did you like it?
I LOVE poi!
Poi is a staple of the traditional Hawaiian diet. Poi is made from mashing up the root of the taro plant. Poi is a very nutritious food. For more on the specifics of poi, check out this link and this link.
I can’t remember the first time I tried poi, but it was probably soon after I moved to Hawaii. I’m not sure why, but the first few times I ate poi, it reminded me of the baby food plums I used to love to eat when I was little. I have never met anyone else that compares poi to baby food plums so it is probably just a strange comparison I make. I have heard of people comparing poi to paste though. I don’t understand this comparison at all. Poi is delicious and this is coming from a very picky eater. I think people that think eating poi is like eating paste go into it with a certain attitude and have never really given poi a chance.
I love my poi sour and I definitely don’t put sugar in my poi. When I first started eating poi, I preferred to eat it combined with lomi lomi salmon or chicken but now I am just as happy to eat it all by itself. There is a Hawaiian Food stand in the Ala Moana Shopping Center food court. I sometimes stop by and order a little bowl of poi. The ladies are always amazed that this haole girl will just order a bowl of poi all by itself.
Taro brand poi is my favorite brand of poi. You can buy poi at any grocery store. This is a photo of a few bags of poi on the grocery store.
If you look closely, you will see that this bag of poi has a green tie.
The colored ties correspond with the delivery dates on the chart posted by the poi. The color of the tie will tell you how old the poi. I usually like to buy my poi two or three days old. The older the poi, the more sour it will be.
You will find these instructions on the back of the bag of poi:
Mixing Instructions for a 16 oz. bag of poi:
1. Add 8 ounces or 1 cup of water to bag.
2. Knead the poi to loosen from the bag.
3. Pour into a bowl and stir until smooth.
To prevent poi from crusting, float 1/4 inch of water on the surface. Refrigerate mixed poi to retain freshness or leave at room temperature to age poi to desired tartness.
As you can see, I didn’t do the best with getting all of the lumps out of my bowl of poi, but that was ok with me. I ate half of this bowl of poi as part of my dinner one night and finished up the poi the following night. Yummy!!
Three day weekend coming up :)
shave ice & gelato 
Well that was interesting!
I had parent teacher night.
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This is a great post – quite apropos~ Ty will be very jealous! Poi and lomi lomi salmon as well as kalua pork are his favs. Hmmm-wonder if Taro Brand ships? I know Haw’n Foods freezes the poi to ship.
I do tend to like the Asian cooking (or non-cooking) in Hawaii – shashimi – yum!
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Hi Girasoli, interesting post. I’m not a big fan of poi but love lomi lomi salmon! :)
Enjoy your 3-day weekend! Whoo hoo!
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Very interesting, I’ve always wondered what poi actually is! For some reason, I thought it was a rice dish.
Is it usually served as a side dish (which would explain why the fast-food poi ladies are surprised when you order one for yourself?)
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That’s interesting. I didn’t know anyone really like poi. I haven’t tried it.
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I love all the poi information. Yes, i’ve tried it, but I think it is a taste that will not be acquired in my lifetime. Now lomi-lomi and kalua pork, bring it on anytime.
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Not a big poi fan either but interesting none the less.
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Ok girasoli, it is very interesting that you like poi, and by it self even, this is amazing.
When I went to Maui for the first time, the girls I work with said I had to try poi, it is a hawaiian tradition, I did not really know much about it, but it tasted like chalk paste to me. Did not like it at all.
I know it is very nutritious though, so good for you.
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I’ve only read about it in books. Didn’t even know what it looked like!
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These comments cracked me up. Interesting reactions to poi.
Leslie, hope your parent night went well.
menehune, there is powdered poi in a jar that might be able to be shipped. I have never tried it though. Not sure how it tastes.
Kathy, lomi lomi salmon is my second favorite Hawaiian food.
sandra, interesting that you thought it was a rice dish. Yes, it is usually not eaten alone.
Cindy Ruth, you should give it a try. Best way to try it is with something like lomi lomi salmon (spoon a little of both together).
Marcia, Kim, & candi, have you tried it together in the same scoop with lomi lomi salmon or Kalua pork? It really compliments the salmon/pork. And maybe it wasn’t sour enough or it was too thick or it wasn’t the right brand. I am not a big fan of one of the other popular brands (forget the name now).
Annie, glad you now know what it looks like :)
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A good tasting poi for the beginner is Hanalei Poi from Kauai. It is more expensive but worth it.
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Girasole,
1 finger, 2 finger or 3 finger poi?
I tried it a few times at a few different places, and I didn’t like it or dislike it.
Because it is so super-nutritious, I’d probably eat it occasionally, if I had the chance.
BUT, it wouldn’t be at the top of my list!
Thanks for the memories!
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Donald, thank you so much for leaving a comment. You are an expert on poi. I value your comment!
Brenda, I have never put fingers in my poi but I would imagine it is probably two-finger poi :)
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