Saccharum edule
Hasskarl
Long pitpit, Duruka
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What to Eat
Edible parts: Flowers, Vegetable
The unopened flower heads of Saccharum edule are gathered and used as a vegetable, it's eaten either raw or cooked. In Fiji, a number of different varieties occur and some grow wild along the riverbank. Children enjoy gathering, roasting and eating the flower heads of the early season red duruka, and later the different varieties of white duruka as they mature in rotation. The flower heads are widely sold in local markets for use as a vegetable. A purple duruka which flowers twice a year has been introduced and become popular and it is proposed that a canning operation be set up to sell this as "Fijian asparagus". The plant is also used for erosion control. In Papua New Guinea pitpit is eaten cooked in coconut milk.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It is common in coastal areas and will grow up to about 1800 m altitude in the tropics. It is commonly grown in old gardens before they return to forest. It is common in coastal areas in Asian and Pacific countries including the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji and also in Indonesia.
Asia, Australia, Bougainville, East Timor, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu,
How to Identify
A grass. It is a plant in the sugarcane family grown for the edible unopened flower. Plants grow 2-3 m tall and have thinner canes than sugarcane. It produces suckers near the base so that normally a clump of stalks is produced. At one season of the year it produces a seed head or flower which remains inside the top of the plant and is the part that is eaten. Several cultivated varieties occur which differ in colour, height and season of flowering.
Nutrition Score: 41/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flower | 89 | 165 | 39 | 4.2 | 0 | 14 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
How to Grow
It is grown from cuttings of the stalks. In fertile soil, cut plants will re-shoot from the base. The cuttings need adequate moisture at planting. Cuttings about 30 cm long are used. To avoid cuttings drying out they need to be planted soon after cutting. Coastal pitpit stalks can be planted at any time of the year. It takes 6-9 months from planting till a crop is ready to harvest. But the time of flowering is coastal pitpit is controlled by the sun. Early in the year about February to March most plants develop a thickened clump of leaves at the top. When these are broken off and opened by removing the outside leaves the very fine yellow unopened flower is seen. It is this flower which is eaten.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Saccharum edule is a species of sugarcane, that is a grass in the genus Saccharum with a fibrous stalk that is rich in sugar. It is cultivated in tropical climates in southeastern Asia. It has many common names which include duruka, tebu telor, PNG/Fiji asparagus, dule (Fiji), pitpit (Melanesia/New Guinea) and naviso. The young, unopened flower heads of Saccharum edule are eaten raw, steamed, or toasted, and prepared in various ways in Southeastern Asia, including New Guinea, Fiji and certain island communities of Indonesia.
Production
It takes 6-9 months to maturity. In most cultivars, flowering is seasonal.
Other Information
It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. A very important vegetable in Papua New Guinea and grown in most lowland areas and up to 1600 m.
Notes
There are 35-40 Saccharum species. In The Plant List as Saccharum spontaneum var. edule.
Names & Synonyms
Anamu, Aua, Bira, Dune, Eo, Gari, Gebia, Grerei, Honi, Iolo, Kua, Kuni, Losi, Na viso, Ode, Ol, Olomu, Tebu endog, Tebu ikan, Tebu telor, Uroro, Uzoro, We
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