Taro

In the beginning we have a taro plant, widely grown in the east. To all appearances, a sort of mutant cabbage.

But underneath we have the roots, rather like those of one of our own potatoes, or perhaps those of a sweet potato.

And then you have the taro flavoured pudding, not yet set, so not yet tried. As things stand we are slightly puzzled as to why one would want to flavour a milk pudding, possibly a relative of the Bird's Instant Whip of my childhood, with a potato.

I am sure I have read somewhere of tribes in what used to be called the East Indies, now mostly Indonesia, making steamed puddings with taro which they flavoured by threading worms through them. With worms being a high grade protein food, so a sort of tribal version of our own fish and chips.

PS 1: with thanks to Wikipedia for the first two pictures. And a moan that they don't manage to calm down their rather loud calls for money for those who have already given. They provide an important service and they deserve their money, but it is a pity they can't tune their calls a bit better. Maybe the real problem is that funds are short and the present advertisement-free public service is under threat.

PS 2: some hours later, nearly gone. I am advised that it was rather like blancmange.