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Matabala (Taro/Cocoyam)

Matabala, also called taro or cocoyam, is a starchy tropical corm commonly boiled, steamed, fried, or added to stews.

Matabala (Taro/Cocoyam) — illustrative ingredient image

About Matabala (Taro/Cocoyam)

Matabala, identified here with taro or cocoyam, is a starchy tropical corm eaten as a vegetable. Its rough brown or grey skin surrounds pale flesh and a dense interior. It is usually peeled before cooking and served as a side dish or added to savoury recipes.

Raw corm is firm and dense, while cooked flesh becomes soft and crumbly or slightly sticky. Its flavour is mild and starchy, allowing it to take on the character of sauces, spices, and cooking liquids. Moisture and texture vary among the types sold under these overlapping names.

The corm may be boiled, steamed, fried, roasted, or cut into stews. It is also mashed or sliced after cooking. Matabala, taro, and cocoyam can differ in size, flesh colour, moisture, and final texture, so the preparation determines much of its appearance and eating quality.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where matabala (taro/cocoyam) appears

1 linked foods

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Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for matabala (taro/cocoyam)

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

taro

English

cocoyam

English

matabala

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Matabala (Taro/Cocoyam) nutrition & diet

Matabala (Taro/Cocoyam) nutritional value

Reference: Taro, raw

Per 100 g of the edible portion of the stated reference food.

Calories
106kcal
Protein
1.4g
Carbs
26.2g
Fat
0.2g

Reference example for the named food and preparation, per 100 g edible portion. This is not a universal value for every recipe or brand; packaged products should be compared with their own label. CoFID 2021 food code 13-376. Carbohydrate follows the dataset’s available-carbohydrate convention. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/.

Portions & preparation

Establish whether the ingredient is the specified matabala, taro, or cocoyam identity, then match raw, peeled, boiled, steamed, dried, or fried corm. Edible flesh, discarded skin, cooking water, added oil, and recipe ingredients should be recorded because preparation changes the represented portion.

Compare the right form: Match references to the established matabala/taro/cocoyam species or variety and its edible corm form: raw, cooked, dried, or fried.

Diet considerations

Matabala is a plant-derived starchy corm when its identity is established. Compatibility changes with animal fat, stock, dairy, coatings, frying, or inclusion in meat stews. It is also frequently served with cereal foods or sauces, so the prepared portion and accompanying ingredients determine the overall carbohydrate pattern.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: UK Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID), 2021 — Taro, raw ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .