Taro

Korean cuisine uses the root (corm), stem, and leaf of the taro plant. All parts of it contain an acid that’s mildly toxic if consumed raw, so you have to cook it properly before eating it.

The Korean name for taro, 토란 (toran) means “earth egg,” because the root looks like an egg from the earth. It’s full of vitamins and minerals and protein.

Fall is peak season for taro in Korea, and taro soup is often part of the Chuseok harvest festival. The taro corms grown in Korea tend to be much smaller than those I found in other parts of the world.