Mafafa: edible tuber and leaves of the tropics

What is it?

Mafafa is a large tropical plant belonging to the species Xanthosoma robustum, of the family Araceae, cultivated and used in southeastern Mexico for its tender leaves and edible rhizome. It grows in humid areas and lowland tropical forests of Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas, Oaxaca and the Yucatan Peninsula, where it reaches up to three metres in height and develops large arrow- or heart-shaped leaves, similar to those of taro or malanga. In the traditional cuisine of the Mexican tropics, its young leaves are used as a cooked quelite, a wrapping for tamales or an ingredient in brothy stews, while the rhizomes are eaten boiled, fried or in soups. It is a close relative of taro (Colocasia esculenta) and other species of the genus Xanthosoma cultivated throughout the American and Caribbean tropics.

Origin and history

Mafafa forms part of the Mesoamerican and Caribbean agricultural repertoire since pre-Hispanic times. The genus Xanthosoma is native to the humid American tropics, where it was domesticated by indigenous peoples who used both its tubers and its leaves. In Mexico, the Totonac, Popoluca, Zoque and Maya cultures consumed these plants before the arrival of the Spaniards, integrating them into their diet alongside cassava, sweet potato and other tropical roots. Fray Bernardino de Sahagun and other colonial chroniclers described similar tubers in their accounts of New Spain, although the precise distinction between malanga, mafafa and taro was not stabilised until the botanical systematisation of the 19th century. CONABIO documents several species of the genus Xanthosoma in Mexico, including X. robustum and X. sagittifolium. After the Conquest, mafafa spread to Africa and Oceania through colonial trade, where today it is known as 'new cocoyam'. Its consumption in Mexico has remained continuous in rural communities of the Gulf and the southeast, where it is associated with peasant and subsistence cooking.

Characteristic ingredients

Xanthosoma robustum is a perennial herbaceous plant with a thick underground rhizome from which large peltate, arrow-shaped leaves sprout, held up by long fleshy petioles. Its leaves can measure more than a metre long. The edible parts are the tender leaves, the young petioles and the central rhizome; all require prolonged cooking to eliminate the calcium oxalate crystals that would otherwise irritate the throat. In Veracruz, the leaves are cooked, chopped and prepared in stews with tomato, chilli and lard, in egg-battered fritters or in wrappings for masa tamales. In Tabasco and Chiapas the rhizome is boiled and served as a side, similar to cassava; it is also added to thick soups and peasant broths. The plant is frequently confused with malanga (X. sagittifolium) and Asian taro; all three are edible but differ in tuber size, flavour and cold tolerance.

Cultural significance

Mafafa is a strategic food of the rural cuisine of the Mexican tropics and an important component of the food security of Nahua, Zoque, Popoluca and Maya communities of the Gulf and the southeast. Its capacity to produce both foliage and tuber in poor soils and flooded areas makes it a resilient crop in the face of climate change, according to reports by INIFAP and SADER. It forms part of the dossier of indigenous cuisines of the Mexican tropics and is considered a regional agri-food heritage. At the Tuxtepec carnival in Oaxaca and at patron-saint festivities in Tabasco, tamales wrapped in mafafa leaf are ritual dishes. The plant also has an ornamental role in tropical gardens because of its great size and elegance. Contemporary regional cuisine movements, such as those led by chefs in Veracruz and Tabasco, have championed mafafa as an identity ingredient of the southeast, presenting it at gastronomic festivals alongside chaya, chipilin and hoja santa.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between mafafa and malanga?

Mafafa and malanga are regional names designating species of the genus Xanthosoma, relatives but distinct. Mafafa usually refers to Xanthosoma robustum, a larger plant grown mainly for its leaves; malanga corresponds to Xanthosoma sagittifolium, grown mainly for its tuber. Both are consumed in Mexico but the names are used interchangeably depending on the region.

What does mafafa taste like?

The cooked leaves of mafafa have a mild, slightly earthy herbal flavour, similar to that of spinach or chard but with a fleshier texture. The tuber is reminiscent of taro or malanga: starchy, slightly sweet and with a hazelnut background when cooked or fried. It combines well with tomato, chilli, garlic and lard.

How is mafafa served?

The leaves are always cooked before consumption to eliminate oxalates. They are prepared in stews with tomato and chilli, in egg fritters, as a wrapping for tamales or chopped in soups and broths. The rhizome is boiled and served as a side, similar to cassava; it is also used to thicken soups or sliced and fried. In Tabasco it is added to pejelagarto and beef stews.

Where is mafafa originally from?

Mafafa is native to the humid American tropics, with its area of origin between southeastern Mexico, Central America and northern South America. In Mexico, its main areas of cultivation and consumption are Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas, Oaxaca and the Yucatan Peninsula, where it grows in warm humid climates. After the Conquest it spread to the Caribbean, Africa and Southeast Asia as a subsistence crop.