| Konjac Amorphophallus konjac | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Araceae |
| Genus: | Amorphophallus |
| Species: | A. konjac |
| Binomial name | |
| Amorphophallus konjac | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
| |
Amorphophallus konjac –also known askonnyaku[3][a] andkonjac[b]– is a species offlowering plant in the familyAraceae.[1][4] It is sometimes referred to asdevil's tongue,[3]voodoo lily,snake palm, orelephant yam.[c]
Theperennial species forms acorm, the stem of which produces a purplish flower. It is native to China and is cultivated in East and Southeast Asia. Food made from the corm[d] is known by its Japanese name,konnyaku.[5]: 595 [3][e] It can be made into white or black cake, as well as a kind of noodle calledshirataki.
It is aperennial plant, growing from a largecorm up to 25 cm (10 in) in diameter. The single leaf is up to 1.3 m (4 ft) across,bipinnate, and divided into numerous leaflets.[7] The flowers are produced on aspathe enclosed by a dark purplespadix up to 55 cm (22 in) long.
It is a relative of thetitan arum (A. titanum), one of the largest flowering plants in the world and acongener of konjac.[8]
Wild forms grow naturally in China (Yunnan in the southwest) and Southeast Asia.[9]
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Konjac is grown in warmsubtropical totropical areas of East and Southeast Asia, from China and Japan south to Indonesia and Vietnam (USDAhardiness zone 6–11).[citation needed] and it is prized for its largestarchy corms, used to create aflour andjelly of the same name. It is also used as avegan substitute forgelatin.
InJapanese cuisine, konjac (konnyaku) appears in dishes such asoden. It is typically mottled grey and firmer in consistency than most gelatins. It has very little flavor; the common variety tastes vaguely likesalt, usually with a slightly oceanic taste and smell (from the seaweed powder added to it, though some forms omit the seaweed).
In Japan, where over 90% of all domestically produced konjac is made inGunma Prefecture.[10] It is valued more for itstexture than flavor.Ito konnyaku (糸蒟蒻) is a Japanese food consisting of konjac cut into noodle-like strips. It is usually sold in plastic bags with accompanying water, which is drained before cooking. The name literally means 'thread-konjac'.
Japanesekonnyaku is made by mixing konjac flour with water andlimewater.[11] Konjac cannot be eaten raw because it contains oxalic acid.[12]: 00:05:07 The product comes in various shades of gray;konnyaku made from corm are naturally dark, while those made from konjac flour are white.[12]: 00:05:42 Hijiki is often added for the characteristic dark color and flavor. It is then boiled and cooled to solidify. Konjac made in noodle form is calledshirataki and used in foods such assukiyaki andgyūdon.[5]: 595
Konjac has been used in Japan since the 6th century, as a supposed medicinal food.[13] Japanese documents from around the 18th century mentions its intestinal cleansing property.[12]: 09:44 Nakajima Toemon developed a method to produce konjac flour in 1776, which are more durable for transportation and storage, contributing to their wider consumption.[12]: 10:44
Konjac is consumed in parts of China'sSichuan province; the corm is calledmoyu (Chinese:魔芋;lit. 'demonic taro'), and the jelly is called "konjac tofu" (魔芋豆腐móyù dòufu) or "snow konjac" (雪魔芋xuě móyù).
InVietnam, konjac is mainly grown in theAn Giang province. The corms are collected and processed into flour. The flour is used to make drinks, cakes, and noodles.[14]
The driedcorm of the konjac plant contains around 40%glucomannan gum. Thispolysaccharide makes konjac jelly, aviscous substance that may be used intraditional Chinese medicine.[15]
Konjac can also be made into a popular East Asian fruit jelly snack, known variously in the US aslychee cups (after a typical flavor) or konjac candy, usually served in bite-sized plastic cups. This fruit jelly was first sold in Japan in 1979.
Perhaps because of several highly publicized deaths and near-deaths in theSan Francisco Bay Area among children and elderly people caused by suffocation while eating konjac candy, the USFood and Drug Administration (FDA) issued product warnings[16] in 2001, and there were subsequent recalls in the US and Canada. Choking and intestinal blockage risk warnings have been published at more recent websites.[17]
Unlikegelatine and some other commonly usedgelling agents, konjac fruit jelly does not melt readily in the mouth. Some products form a gel strong enough to require chewing to disintegrate the gel. Though the product is intended to be eaten by gently squeezing the container, a consumer can suck the product out with enough force to unintentionally lodge it in the trachea. Because of this hazard, theEuropean Union andAustralia banned konjac fruit jelly.[18][19][20][21]
Some konjac jelly snacks are not of a size and consistency that pose a choking risk, but are nonetheless affected by the government bans.[22] Some products that remain in East Asian markets have an increased size, unusual shape, and more delicate consistency than the round, plug-like gels that were associated with the choking incidents.[citation needed] The snacks usually have warning labels advising parents to make sure their children chew the jelly thoroughly before swallowing.[citation needed]
Japan's largest manufacturer of konjac snacks,MannanLife, temporarily stopped producing the jellies after a 21-month-old Japanese boy choked to death on a frozen MannanLife konjac jelly.[23][24] 17 people died from choking on konjac between 1995 and 2008.[25] MannanLife konjac jelly's packaging added a note to consumers, advising them to cut the product into smaller pieces before serving it to small children.[citation needed] To prevent such accidents, they developed and began selling drinkable konjac jelly in 2005.
In 1999, 8-year-old Michelle Enrile fromSan Jose, California, choked on a piece of konjac gel candy. She lapsed into a coma and died 27 months later at age 11. The Enriles won a $16.7 million judgment against the Taiwanese manufacturer of the candy.[26]
Konjac corm powder has a noticeably fishy smell and is used as an ingredient invegan alternativeseafood products.[27] It can be incorporated intoplant-based versions of seafood. For Chinese cooking, thin strands of konjac gel can be used as substitute for shark fins when preparing a plant-based version ofshark fin soup.[28][29]
Konjac can also be used for facial massage accessories, which are popular in Korea and gaining popularity in the West. Most commonly this is through the use of a konjac sponge, which is unique in that it can be used on sensitive skin that may become easily irritated with more commonexfoliating tools (such asloofahs or washcloths).[citation needed]
It can be used in the formulation of drugs and devices such as oralcolon-targeting drug delivery systems (OCDDS), which enable drugs to be delivered directly to the colon.[30]
In traditional hand papermaking in Japan, konnyaku imparts strength to paper for dyeing, rubbing, folding—and other manipulations, such asmomigami.[31]
Shirataki noodles have gained popularity in the US for their low carbohydrate content.[citation needed]
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