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Hawaiian dessert using coconut milk From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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