Goa's Complicated Relationship with the Elephant Foot Yam & Its Flower

Arti Das introduces us to the fascinating aspects of the elephant foot yam, its flower, stem and tuber, and Goa’s long infatuation with it.

It is a hot summer afternoon in May in Mashem village, in Goa’s southernmost taluka, Canacona. I am yielding to a post-lunch slump on the balcao when a strange-looking flower grabs my attention. Its thick purple-pink petals are velvet to the touch, and quite unlike anything I have seen before.

I soon learn a few things about it: it is the flower of ‘suran’ or elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius). Surnache ful is edible, and a hyper-local seasonal ingredient.

The Flower

Miguel Braganza, an expert on farming in Goa, explains that the Surnache ful has the anthocyanin pigment that lends it a distinctive red-purple-pink hue, full of antioxidants. Traditionally, it is believed that eating this flower can cure piles. A most peculiar aspect about it, is that it needs to be harvested just before it blooms fully. Understanding its life-span and harvesting it, then, becomes something of an art form. One strong giveaway is its aroma — not a pleasant one, but the stink of something rotten — is an indicator that this flower has started to bloom. The funnel-shaped bloom emanates a foul smell not dissimilar to rotting flesh, to attract pollinators. This is why it is harvested before it blooms.

The flower of elephant foot yam, that is harvested just before it blooms

My mother-in-law, Vaijayanti Prabhugaonkar, waits for this season of blooming eagerly. For a few days, just before it rains, when the air is thick with the moisture of pre-monsoon showers, her anticipation peaks. She makes sure to plan the harvest as requests pour in from neighbours and relatives, all in search of this exotic ingredient, not commonly found in the local markets. It flowers in the wild, in the overgrowths, and in our banana and coconut plantation.

Once harvested, it is used in the local delicacy, sunnachi bhaji. Its chewy, meaty texture does not have a distinctive flavour of its own, but its alkaline properties that can create irritation. So it is typically paired with a souring agents, like kokum, to negate that itch.

The Root

Suran or elephant foot yam is one of the most common edible tubers eaten in this part of the world, typically from November to February, especially in that beloved favourite, khatkhate — a curry made with 20-odd vegetables.

Halwa made from boiled suran or elephant foot yam. Credit: Assavri Kulkarni

Photographer and local food enthusiast, Assavri Kulkarni, explores different aspects of this ingredient. Her favourite is the suranacho halvo. Last year, at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2023, this dish was one of the most exciting components of the ‘Food Lab Project’ by Edible Issues, curated with a focus on tubers. “I use a local variety of suran for this. It is dark pink on the inside, and is also more itchy. So, one has to take care while handling it,” says Assavri. She makes bhakri/chapatti from boiled suran by adding rajgira flour. “I usually consume it when I am fasting, especially during Ashadi Ekadashi, as one avoids eating rice.”

Suran is quite commonly found in and around Goa’s wild spaces. However, one has to pay careful attention to its varieties. Along with cultivated suran, there is raan or wild suran (Amorphophallus commutatus, the dragon stalk yam) whose tubers are not edible. The easiest way to distinguish between the two is the colour of the stem of the plant. The stem of the cultivable elephant foot yam which grows up to the height of 2 meters is light green, whereas the stem of the wild variety is dark green.

In monsoons, the tender leaves of this raan suran (locally known as luti) are eaten.

Home chef, Shubhra Shankhwalker, who specialises in Goan Saraswat Cuisine, makes a green leafy vegetable from luti, a preparation she served at a recent food pop-up in Bengaluru. “I usually source this vegetable from the local vegetable market where village women bring this harvest,” says Shubhra. The dish gets a tangy flavour from hog plum, and body and texture from boiled jackfruit seeds and vodyo, a local condiment made from spiced mashed ash gourd which is sun-dried. This uncommon dish received a warm response at the pop-up, “It was well received, with its tangy, sweet flavour.”

The tender leaves of raan suran are called luti. Credit: Shubhra Shankwalker

A vegetable dish made with luti, hog plum and vodyo. Credit: Shubhra Shankwalker

Along with its tender leaves, the flower’s stem of this raan suran is also a seasonal delicacy. It is not so commonly consumed in Goa compared to the neighbouring state of Maharashtra. The dragon stalk yam is called shevla and grows quite wild, just after the first rains of the monsoon. Sourcing, handling, and cooking this flower stem is a process in itself. Assavri makes curry from this shevla and adds ‘manshechi sungta’ or prawns found around the sluice gate of khazan system of Goa. She elaborates that adding some sort of protein to this dish is a must. “If you are vegetarian you can add green peas as a source of protein. I guess it is because any fibre-rich food should be combined with good protein as it helps in the assimilation of food.” She laments that this flower stem is now hardly seen in markets as most urban dwellers have no idea of its value. She sources it from wild areas during her regular monsoon excursions.

The flower stem of the wild suran, also called shevla and dragon stalk yam.

Shevla is now getting attention thanks to social media. People are sharing images, and asking about its identity, and how to cook it. For city folk, it may look something exotic but to locals, it is an important part of the monsoon diet. In the monsoon, when there is a shortage of regular vegetables, and a two-month ban on fishing, many locals rely on these wild greens.

However identifying and cooking these ingredients correctly, from the flower and corm or tuber, to stem and tender leaves of raan suran, is an undervalued skill. it is best to ask experts or locals who have been cooking these ingredients for generations, and be mindful of its cooking protocols and consumption patterns.

Braganza elaborates, “Suran belongs to the Araceae family that contains oxalic acid, that can cause throat and mouth irritation. Traditionally, tamarind with tartaric acid, kokum with hydroxy citric acid, or lemon juice with citric acid, is applied to render the oxalic acid ineffective. They are cooked thereafter. One may boil the vegetable with tamarind or kokum and strain the water before cooking. Some even apply coconut oil to their hands while cutting suran or lutichi bhaji.”

Maryanne Lobo, an Ayurvedic doctor who also conducts wild food trails in Goa, believes that one must relish it according to its season and in a restrained manner. “One must consume such vegetables, especially like ‘lutichi bhaji’, once in 15 days and not daily. Make sure that only the most tender leaves are harvested. Also, they are seasonal, so have it only during that time of the year.”

Arti Das is a freelance journalist who writes about the art, culture and ecology of Goa.

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