Konjac

Konjac also known as konjak, konjaku, konnyaku potato, devil’s tongue, voodoo lily, snake palm, or elephant yam (though this name is also used for A. paeoniifolius), is a plant of the genus Amorphophallus. It is native to warm subtropical to tropical eastern Asia, from Japan and China south to Indonesia (USDA hardiness Zone 6-11). It is a perennial plant, growing from a large corm up to 25 cm in diameter. The single leaf is up to 1.3 m across, bipinnate, and divided into numerous leaflets. The flowers are produced on a spathe enclosed by a dark purple spadix up to 55 cm long.

El konjac se cultiva en los campos. Tras la cosecha, se corta y se seca en trozos, para luego procesarse en harina con una máquina especial. La harina fina de konjac se utiliza principalmente como materia prima para elaborar productos de konjac. En los últimos años, también se ha utilizado como aditivo alimentario y su demanda está creciendo rápidamente.