Cooking Rakahanga Style?
A coarse dry taro called puraka or swamp taro is enjoyed by locals, but considered bland and starchy by foreigners. One European who lived on Rakahanga passed on his favourite recipe which is reproduced in the "Cook Islands Companion" mentioned above. Rakahangans please take note: he was criticising the puraka, not your wonderful island! Anyway, here's what he wrote...
"Cut up the puraka into small chunks about the size of a thumb. Put them in a pot of boiling water, along with a coral rock about as big as your hand, and cover the pot. Cook it all for three hours, adding some salt and pepper every hour or so. When the three hours are done, drain away the water, throw away the puraka and eat the rock. It will still have more flavour than the puraka!"