TAROS AND YAUTIAS 15 
they are dug, and even then they are much better baked than when 
cooked in other ways. However, after being baked they may be 
fried or-otherwise prepared further. Later in the season the corms 
may be boiled, but the tubers are always much better baked. 
The whiteness, excellent texture, and mild flavor of the baked 
tubers of this taro have made it a favorite with a good many per- 
sons who at first objected to the dryness and the frequent violet 
coloration of the ordinary dasheen. From the point of view of the 
grower, the variety has an advantage in the greater ease of harvest- 
ing and preparation for market because the absence of leaf sprouts 
from the tubers reduces the labor of cleaning. The variety also is 
an excellent keeper. However, it is not recommended for com- 
mercial cultivation at present, for, as indicated, the variety of uses 
Fig. 9.—Inflorescences of the two tanyahs (taros) of the South Atlantic coast region: 
A, The blue tanyah, Colocasia antiquorum Schott. B, The yellow tanyah, Colo- 
casia sp. The limbs of the spathes are respectively open to the normal full extent. 
(P24365FS. } 
on the table is limited, and it would prove unsatisfactory on the 
market unless handled in the special ways described. 
YELLOW TANYAH. 
This taro is the smaller and more acrid of the two “tanyahs” of 
our southeastern coast region. The word “yellow” in the local 
name has reference to the slightly yellowish color of the flesh when 
cooked. The name “tanyah” alone is used in localities where the 
blue tanyah (Colocasia antiquorum) is not also grown. The young 
sprouts and fibrous roots of the yellow tanyah are white, making 
it easy to distinguish from the larger growing pink-rooted blue 
tanyah. The inflorescence differs from that of the blue tanyah and 
