>I was wondering, how paleo are: yucca (breadfruit), plantain, (platanos),
>taro root?
>
>Paleowishes,
>Susan

Breadfruit, plaintains and other bananas, and also taro  are native to
tropical areas.  They need cooking or other preparation to be good food
sources.  Taro (and poi) were staples for the Polynesians.  Breadfruit is a
staple for many Pacific islanders in the old Trust Territories.

Yucca is a tough desert plant, I believe in the lily family, that takes a
lot of preparation to use.  It is not a major food source to anyone living
near it, although it used to provide fibers for weaving.  The root is said
to provide a soaplike material.

My personal guess is that taro, plantains and breadfruit would have been
usable to people in their geographical areas who had an advanced food
preparation technology -- fire to cook with, baskets or pots to cook in,
sharp stones to cut with.  (Breadfruit, by the way, is a sticky nightmare
to deal with unless it has been cooked -- totally gums up whatever you try
to cut it with.)

Being usable through basic technology would make these items eligible as
paleofood, I think.  Is that how things are evaluated here?  I just happen
to have experience with Pacific island foods (9 years on Guam, 4 in Hawaii
partly spent learning to cook and use local foods) and just happen to have
yucca plants in my yard in Arizona.

Patty writing from [log in to unmask]