Amorphophallus konjac
A toxic corm turned into a fiber-rich jelly.
Amorphophallus konjac, also known as konnyaku or moyu, is a flowering plant native to China and cultivated in East and Southeast Asia. Its corm is processed into a jelly-like food used in Japanese and Chinese cuisines, valued for its fiber content and ability to absorb flavors.
Quick Facts
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- konjac
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Description
This perennial plant grows from a large corm up to 25 cm in diameter. Its single leaf can reach 1.3 m across and is bipinnate with many leaflets. The flower is enclosed by a dark purple spadix up to 55 cm long. All parts of the plant are toxic, especially the corm, which causes burning and swelling if eaten raw.
Uses
Moyu is grown in warm subtropical to tropical areas of East and Southeast Asia, from China and Japan to Indonesia and Vietnam. Its starchy corms are used to produce a flour and jelly, and it serves as a vegan gelatin substitute. The plant has been used for over 2000 years; early medicinal references appear in the Shennong Bencaojing, which describes the corm as having detoxifying and expectorant properties. The plant was introduced to Japan, where it has been consumed since at least the 6th century. The earliest clear record of cultivation and food use comes from the Western Jin dynasty, when poet Zuo Si mentioned juruo growing in Shu region gardens. Tang-dynasty annotations describe boiling the corm with alkaline ash water to neutralize toxicity, forming a firm jelly sometimes preserved in vinegar. The jelly contains a high proportion of glucomannan gum. In Chinese provinces such as Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, and Yunnan, the corm is called móyù, and the jelly is known as móyù dòufu, snow moyu, or moyu brick. Because of its firm, elastic texture and ability to absorb flavors, moyu jelly is marketed as a plant-based analogue of beef tripe, called sù máodǔ. Ridged or shredded forms mimic the chewiness of animal offal while being low in calories and high in dietary fiber, making them common in hot pot and Sichuan-style dishes.
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