Poi

Poi, also called popoi, is a traditional staple food of the Polynesian diet made from taro, traditionally produced by mashing cooked taro on a wooden pounding board with a carved stone, coral or wood pestle, though modern producers use an industrial food processor for large-scale retail distribution. Water is added during mashing and again before eating to reach a desired consistency, informally described in Hawaii as one-finger, two-finger or three-finger poi according to how many fingers are needed to scoop a mouthful, with thicker poi needing fewer fingers. It can be eaten fresh, when it is sweet, or left to ferment into a sourer version smelling something like plain yogurt, with a layer of water sometimes kept on top to slow a fermenting batch from forming a crust.