Amorphophallus paeoniifolius

The Elephant Foot Yam is known as ‘Karunai Kizhangu’ in Tamil, or ‘Suran’ in Hindi. It is a large, round tuber which thrives in tropical climates and is much revered and popularly consumed in most parts of India for its nutritive value. It gets its name from the fact that the whole yams actually look like elephants’ feet!

Elephant Foot Yam has a history of being prescribed in remedies in all three of the major Indian systems of medicine: Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani. It has found particular importance in the treatment of bleeding hemorrhoids, commonly known as piles.

After harvesting, the yams need to be stored for a month before they can be cooked as the oxalate crystals that are much more prominent in freshly harvested yam cause an itching, burning sensation on the tongue.

To prepare the Karunai Kizhangu, first wash the mud off the outer skin that is often found in the crevices and creases on the surface. Then cut and slice it while also cutting

the thin outer skin off. The pieces need to be then soaked in water along with a little tamarind and a good deal of salt for about 20 minutes – this action almost entirely prevents the irritation in the mouth when eating the yam. Drain and rinse the pieces before stir-frying with the other spices that you would like to use. Or simply cook in a curry!

It is often the mere lack of a very simple bit of knowledge that prevents us from making good use of local produce such as the Elephant Foot Yam. We hope that this information gives you the impetus for making that last step from thinking about eating elephant foot yams. To actually obtain the yam and cook it yourself!