poi, starchy Polynesian food paste made from the taro root. In Samoa and other Pacific islands, poi is a thick paste of pounded bananas or pineapples mixed with coconut cream; the word originally denoted the action of pounding the food to a pulp. In Hawaii, where poi is a staple of local cuisine, taro root is used almost exclusively for its preparation. The peeled roots are cooked, pounded, mixed with water to the desired consistency, and strained to remove fibres. The resultant bland, bluish gray paste is eaten fresh or allowed to ferment for up to a week to develop a tangy taste.
Hawaiians traditionally did not use eating utensils, and poi is still characterized as one-, two-, or three-finger, according to the technique necessary to scoop up a mouthful. The luau, a Hawaiian banquet, is sometimes called a poi supper.