Kai for thought: Kūmara

Kai (food) has a special role in connecting people and bridging cultures in Aotearoa New Zealand. Many plants and kaimoana (seafood) we enjoy today have been staples in the Māori diet for hundreds of years. Māori innovation and Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) have guided the cultivation and harvest of culturally significant foods for generations.

Kūmara is known as sweet potato elsewhere. It is an iconic food treasured by Māori for its significance, both edible and its use in tikanga Māori (culture and traditions). Kūmara is well loved by Kiwis to this day. Along with many other vegetables, kūmara was brought to Aotearoa from Polynesia by Māori; however, some vegetables did not fare as well in their new home because of the cooler climate, so kūmara became an important element in the traditional Māori diet.

Māori are skilled horticulturists and have adapted these practices for generations. They are essentially early adaptors of biocontrol. Māori traditionally planted large gardens of kūmara on sloping land with bright sunlight and good draining soil. Fences were built to protect the crops from the weather and birds. Māori also kept tame karoro (seagulls) to eat caterpillars of kūmara moths. Kūmara is still recognised as a taonga food by many iwi around Aotearoa and is often used for ceremonial purposes as well.

USE: Kūmara is cooked in many ways — in hāngī, boiled, steamed, or dried in the sun. Traditionally, Māori stored the leftover kūmara in underground pits over winter. Some were for consumption and some for next year’s planting. Dried kūmara (kao) was used to make a gruel/porridge for invalids.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE: The nutrient composition of kūmara varies depending on the colour, but they are generally high in dietary fibre, vitamin C, potassium and some of the B vitamins. These nutrients have a range of health benefits including supporting the immune system and helping the body to convert macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, into energy. The functions align with the traditional usage of kūmara.

For more on the nutrient content of these foods and over 2,700 commonly prepared and eaten foods in New Zealand, visit the New Zealand Food Composition Database at foodcomposition.co.nz. To learn more about Māori traditional and contemporary interests in plant and kaimoana, check out some of the Māori organisations Plant & Food Research has supported in these areas: Wakatū, Tuaropaki and Ngati Porou Miere.