ʻUlu and Kalo: The Canoe Plants at the Heart of Our Kitchen

When the first Polynesian voyagers made their way across the Pacific to Hawaiʻi, they brought with them the plants that would shape Hawaiian life for centuries. Two of the most important were ʻulu and kalo, breadfruit and taro. They were more than ingredients; they were a foundation.

ʻUlu, Breadfruit

ʻUlu is a starchy, versatile fruit from a tree that produces abundantly for generations. In Hawaiian tradition, it has long been a symbol of abundance and care. In the kitchen, ʻulu roasts, purees, and fries beautifully. Getting to work with it every day is one of the privileges of cooking in Hawaiʻi.

Kalo, Taro

Kalo is the crop at the heart of Hawaiian culture. For more than a thousand years it fed these islands in the form of poi, a paste made from pounded taro root that was the staple of Native Hawaiian life and remains a symbol of community and sustenance to this day. In the kitchen it is earthy, creamy, and nutty. No other ingredient we work with carries more history.

On Our Plates

At Merriman’s, ʻulu and kalo are not accent ingredients; they are anchors of the menu. Alongside them you will find ʻuala, the Molokaʻi sweet potato, beloved across the islands for its rich, earthy sweetness. We source from Hawaiʻi farms committed to reviving these, because the best cooking starts with knowing where something comes from and why it matters.

Our Smoked Taro Hummus puts two beloved island ingredients front and center, with kalo in the hummus and ʻuala in the Molokaʻi sweet potato chips served alongside crudité of Upcountry vegetables. The Honokohau Taro Falafel, served with cilantro crème fraîche and Ho Farms tomato and cucumber relish, brings that same spirit to a preparation rooted in another part of the world. The Waipio Taro Spanakopita with Hawaiʻi Island Goat Feta takes kalo somewhere new, using local ingredients to make something that feels both familiar and fresh. In our Diver Scallop and Clam Curry, fried ʻulu arrives alongside green coconut sauce and shrimp dumplings, familiar in texture but unmistakably of this place.

Behind every dish that features ʻulu or kalo are years of stewardship from a culture that understood the relationship between land and life long before the word sustainability existed.