52 
BULLETIN 6 0, HAWAII EXPERIMENT STATION" 
To cook plain. — Peel and wash 1 pound Japanese taro, cut in con- 
venient sizes, and boil for seven minutes. Drain; and boil again 
with 3 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon sugar until thoroughly 
cooked. 
Kudzu (Pueraria thunbergiana, P. Tdrsuta, Dollchos japonlca). (Fig. 47) 
Chinese name: Fan-kot 
Japanese name : Kudzu 
Shape: Root, large; tapering, or irregular. 
Size: Five to twenty-four inches in length ; 3 to 18 inches in diameter. 
Color : Straw-colored to light-brown skin ; white flesh. 
Figure 47. — Kudzu 
The kudzu root resembles somewhat the sweetpotato in general 
conformation, but has very coarse, tough skin, and fibrous flesh. 
Some of the roots grow to great size, but only the smaller roots are 
used for the table. Choice starch can be extracted from the kudzu 
root. The plant is a hairy, twining perennial which grows 30 to 60 
feet long. It is sold by seedsmen as an arbor plant. It is a native 
of China and Japan. 
