At 19:22 1999-07-18 +1000, Ben wrote:
>hi,
>despite my enthusiasm for root vegetables, I must admit I'm a bit stuck as
>to which are paleo. I've seen in Staffan Lindbergh's Katava report that the
>Katavans ate root veges, and I've seen them mentioned elsewhere.

The most important root on Kitava is yam.
I once found a site were one cold qet questions about answered.
I asked: Wich part of the world is the origin of (wild) yams?
Is yams edible raw?
Following is the answer I got.

- Hans

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Dear Mr. Hans Kylberg:

Artifacts from West Africa indicate that wild yams were used for food there
prior to 50,000 BC.

The alkaloid, dioscorine, is contained in some species of yam making some,
like "D. hispida" poisonous raw.  Before use, the tuber is boiled so that
the alkaloid can be leached from the tuber.

You may find this book as a helpful reference:  "World Vegetables" by Mas
Yamaguchi an AVI book published in 1983 by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company,
New Yory, NY.
        Thank you for your interest!
        Phil Loretan, Tuskegee University,Tuskegee, AL 36088
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