[3] Water is added to the paste during mashing, and again just before eating, to achieve the desired consistency, which can range from highly viscous to liquid.

[4] Poi can be eaten immediately, when fresh and sweet, or left to ferment and become sour, developing a smell reminiscent of plain yogurt.

Poi is thought to have originated in the Marquesas Islands, created some time after initial settlement from Polynesian explorers.

The origins of poi coincided with the development of basalt pounders in the Marquesas, which soon spread elsewhere in eastern Polynesia, with the exception of New Zealand and Easter Island.

[8] Poi has a paste-like texture and a delicate flavor when freshly prepared in the traditional manner, with a pale purple color that naturally comes from the taro corm.

New commercial preparations of poi require refrigeration, but stay fresh longer and taste sweeter.