Suram

Appears in

Published 2014

About

suram Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (formerly campanulatus), also known as elephant’s foot yam (because the large rhizome is thought to resemble an elephant’s foot) or telinga potato, is a root crop related to taro in the arum lily family. Of the numerous species in the genus only two are cultivated: suram itself, mainly in India, but also in SE Asia; and konjak, A. rivieri (see konnyaku), mainly in Japan.

A curious feature of the scores of species in this genus is the highly disagreeable smell of the inflorescence, like that of rotting meat. This attracts flies, which pollinate it. The ‘amorphous phallus’ of the generic name, a horrifying concept, is justified by the crumpled, shapeless form of the spadix which projects from the inflorescence. (The spadix can be of awesome size; one inedible species found in Sumatra has a spadix 2 m/6' long.)

Become a Premium Member to access this page

Unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of the world’s best cookbooks
Over 150,000 recipes with thousands more added every month
Recommended by leading chefs and food writers
Powerful search filters to match your tastes
Create collections and add reviews or private notes to any recipe
Swipe to browse each cookbook from cover-to-cover
Manage your subscription via the My Membership page

Already a member?

Best value

'Brilliant app for foodies'

'Spotify of cookbooks'

Part of

The licensor does not allow printing of this title

Suram

Become a Premium Member to access this page

$4.99

$39.99

Part of