Agri Leader

Malanga is popular side dish to Cuban meals

RODOLFO ROMAN
Published: September 12, 2012

Cubans in South Florida love to indulge on their pork with arroz con moro with frijoles negro, which translates to rice and black beans. But, a delicious side gives it the extra flavor that will make any food junkie fall in love — malanga.

The tropical vegetable, which resembles the elephant-ear plant, is popular in the Caribbean and part of Africa. It is used to make fried malanga fritters and other favorites. The vegetable also is used as an ingredient found in soups. The vegetable is grown is small patches in Homestead to satisfy the needs of local consumers.

There are more than 2,500 acres of malanga, according to Mark King, of the University of Florida Sarasota County extension's Family & Consumer Sciences program.

Commercial vegetable extension agent of the UF Miami-Dade County extension Mary Lambert said the vegetable is around when needed.

"Production is year-round, but the crop takes 9 to 14 months," she said.

Malanga, also known as cocoyam, is easily digested because of the starch grains, and it's high in thiamine and riboflavin. It also has vitamin C and iron.

Because Miami-Dade County is highly productive in crops, the area produces a lot of malanga, which is sent to other areas, according to a report by Lambert and Teresa Olzyck.

The crop comes from Asia. It was brought to South Florida in the late 1800s. The crops were grown in backyards by early settlers.

However, help is needed for the crop, since it isn't as easy to grow, Lambert said.

"This crop is vegetatively propagated, usually starting with the mother corm, which is not sold in supermarkets," she wrote in an email. "So, if you want to start growing it, you need to find someone who already has malanga. It can be started from the corm, but it won't yield as much."