What Is Poi? Everything to Know About the Hawaiian Dish

If you’re familiar with the Hawaiian lūʻau plate — laden with dishes like kalua pork, huli huli chicken, tuna poke, and macaroni salad — you’ve probably seen poi. Maybe you tried it and thought it tasted like wallpaper paste. But this staple starch, made from the root of taro, is highly valued, packed with nutritional benefits, and, yes, can be quite tasty. Here, we break down everything you need to know about this culturally important dish.

In short, poi is mashed taro root. It’s the staple starch of Native Hawaiians, with a texture akin to thick pudding. It’s traditionally eaten as a side dish with salty, savory proteins like fish, kālua pig (pig that has been whole-roasted in an underground oven called an imu), and laulau (a Hawaiian dish of pork and fish steamed in ti leaves), although it can also be eaten alone. 

Poi is considered a superfood: It’s fat-free, high in fiber, and packed with essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and phosphorus. In fact, in Hawaiʻi it’s often one of the first foods babies eat. Today it’s more than just a starchy side; poi is used to flavor desserts and breads, too.

The main ingredient of poi is taro, a starchy root vegetable that’s cultivated all over the world with hundreds of varieties, each with their own tastes, textures, and colors. Known as kalo in the Hawaiian language, taro is one of the most culturally significant plants in the Islands, central to the Native Hawaiian creation story. Legend says Wākea and his daughter, Hoʻohokukalani, had a stillborn son named Hāloanaka (quivering long stalk). He was buried and from that spot sprouted a kalo plant. The second child, Hāloa, is considered the first Hawaiian and the ancestor of all Hawaiian people; his kuleana (responsibility) was to care for his brother, or kalo, for all eternity.

Poi is simply mashed taro roots (or “corms”) and water. That’s it. The water alters the consistency of the poi. Traditionally, poi is pounded with a stone pestle, or pōhaku kuʻi ʻai, on a large, slightly concave wooden board called a papa kuʻi ʻai. The corms are steamed, peeled, and cleaned, then pounded by hand on the board. (If you don’t use as much water, you get something called paʻiʻai, which has a more mochi-like texture.) 

The taste of poi ranges from bland wallpaper paste to something akin to a plain sweet potato. Some will go so far as to say it’s an acquired taste. The fresher the poi, the sweeter the taste. Fermented poi — or sour poi, which some locals prefer — is tangy and sour. Some people even add sugar and milk to poi to sweeten it.

The texture of poi varies, too, depending on the water content. Typically, poi should be smooth and pasty — not too stiff or too runny. In the Islands, there‘s an informal classification of consistency: one-finger, two-finger, or three-finger poi, depending on how many fingers are required to scoop it up. (The thicker the poi, the fewer fingers needed.)

Traditional poi makers use a stone pounder and wooden board to make poi. But it’s easy to make at home, too. After cleaning taro corms, you can cook them in a large pot or pressure cooker until the corms are soft and easy to pierce with a fork. Then cut the cooked taro into small pieces and, along with small amounts of water, blend in a food processor until smooth. (It’s important to note that you can’t eat taro raw. It contains calcium oxalate, a bitter-tasting compound that can irritate your mouth and throat.)

Poi is served in a bowl, most often as a side dish. Its sweetness complements salty, savory foods like lomi lomi salmon (a side dish made of salted salmon, tomatoes, and onions), smoked meat, and salted fish.