Taro stem is the edible leaf-stalk, or petiole, of the taro plant (Colocasia esculenta), the long fleshy stem that runs from the corm underground up to the broad heart-shaped leaf. Known as arbi ke danthal or kochur loti in South Asia and as zuiki in Japan, it is a distinct stem vegetable in its own right, quite separate from the starchy corm. Peeled of its stringy skin and always thoroughly cooked, the stalk turns soft and slightly spongy, soaking up spice, tamarind and coconut, with a mild, clean, faintly earthy taste. Like all parts of raw taro it carries throat-irritating calcium-oxalate crystals, so it is never eaten raw.