The Making of the Famous Konomel

It started with a special kind of giant swamp taro called mwache. Although mwache can be found on other islands throughout Chuuk and the rest of the Micronesian islands, this variation that is grown on Oneop is different. While it usually takes a year or two for the other types of giant taro to reach maturity, mwache can be harvested only after six to eight months. From the initial planting of young shoots up to the time of harvest, mwache leaves all the other types of taro in the mud (pun intended) in terms of maintenance and upkeep. No fertilizer, no compost, no dead cats, no rotten fish, no black magic, and no constant monitoring and pampering is ever required to assure a healthy and succulent tuber or corm. In the words of one Oneopese farmer, “Just stick it in the mud and leave it the hell alone.” And the end product is always the same: a great tasting, mouth-watering, highly fibrous, good textured, energy-inducing, jaw-strengthening tuber that, when pounded, turns into the famous Konomel.

Some folks may ask, “But what is a Konomel?” Well, let me just say this. Konomel is similar to the Hawaiian poi although, it is different in taste, texture, color, nutritional value and . . . did I say taste? Once you taste Konomel, you will never go back to rice or poi or anything else. And this is how it is prepared:
1. First, the taro has to be harvested at least a day or two before cooking. Only the petioles, the leaves and the roots will be cut from the taro bulbs at this time. The mud and the skin should be kept on until immediately before cooking at which time, the women who do the preparation and cooking must skin them and hack them into little pieces using very sharp machetes and stack them neatly in gigantic aluminum pots, cover them with taro leaves and cook over open fires. This practice of keeping the harvested taro overnight is called amesapwin. They say that when amesapwin is done, the konomel becomes more scrumptious. (Note 1: The men who harvest it have to make sure that the corm or tuber is cut from the stem or the petioles (leaf stalks) at the site of harvest - the taro patch. One inch of corm has to stay on the stem to ensure that the leaf stalks don’t separate and fall off. These tuber-less adult taro plants are not discarded but stacked neatly in piles in the taro patch to await replanting as soon as they sprout new leaves. This cycle of harvesting and replanting of already harvested plants happens twice in the life of a taro. In other words, you can harvest two corms from on taro plant.)

2. The taro is cooked or boiled in large aluminum pots or vats over open fire for about ten to twelve hours. During that time, the women must keep vigil on the pot to make sure that the fire is always stoked and that water is always added to the pot when it becomes low. For that reason, the cookhouse also becomes a temporary sleeping quarter for the women. This time is very important to the women because it also serves as a time to share quality time together. It is a time to exchange information and a time to learn new things. Young pubescent daughters and nieces are taught and instructed in women’s affairs and things during this brief but fruitful period. Furthermore, this is also a time when the juiciest of gossips and the secretest of secrets are exchanged and adds to the fire; not the one under the pot.. (Note 2: This is also a time when husbands, fathers and boyfriends must also be vigilant. On Oneop, there is a band of night crawlers and marauders that are known as the “Ninjas”. They are a menace to society in that they sneak into homes when the people there are sleeping to look for hidden treasures (other than jewelry or money). It is a known fact that when the women spend the night in the cookhouse to cook and prepare the Konomel, these ninjas also go out at night to prowl. They bid their time and wait for the women to doze off so they can sneak in and steal from their pots. So, it is even harder for the poor husbands, fathers and boyfriends because while they must stay out of hearing distance from the cookhouse (it’s taboo for Oneopese males to eavesdrop on women’s conversation), they’re expected to miraculously materialize at the cookhouse at the exact moment the ninjas strike. So, you will often see them sitting in the dark at a distance from the cookhouse, swatting and eating mosquitoes, and constantly swearing at the damn ninjas and at life in general.)
3. Twelve hours later, when the taro corm is cooked, the actual creation of the Konomel begins. The excess water has to be drained from the pot leaving only a little bit in the bottom to steam the taro. Some embers are kept in the hearth under the pot to keep it warm. Rock pounders, pounding boards, coolant, and containers are collected, washed and set up. Pounders (females only) are selected and sent to shower and get ready to pound the taro. These pounders are prohibited from wearing any perfume otherwise the konomel will be ruined. Even only just a tinge of Eternity or Passion can render a whole batch of konomel inedible and worthless. The pounding starts when everyone is present and the server starts to serve the piping hot corms to each pounder. The pounding usually lasts for five to six hours depending on the number of pounders. So, when the pounding starts, there’s no more peace on earth. The constant pounding and staccato of rock pounders on wooden board (it is called kutupwurur) is enough to drive a deaf man crazy. It goes on and on and the konomel paste keeps growing and growing until there’s no more room on the pounding board. At such time, the konomel paste is transferred into large round containers called naoro’s or kapu’s where it awaits the rest of the paste for the final phase of creation. (Note 3: Interestingly, while the kutupwurur is going on, the flow of information is also non-stop. While pounding, the women tell stories and jokes and, sometimes, even blare out favorite songs and local chants. It is a time for hard work and merriment and according to the Oneopese women, there’s nothing more fun than female bonding on the pounding boards.)

4. While the women are pounding away, the men are busy collecting and husking adult coconuts – one ingredient in the konomel creating process. The coconut shells are cracked into halves and given to the young men who are manning the pweikers to grate the copra into large bowls in which the coconut cream will be extracted. Before the coconut cream is extracted from the grated copra, wild yellow ginger is added to create a distinct smell in the konomel. The wild ginger also serves as a type of preservative that keeps the konomel from getting spoilt after only a few days. (Note 4: In order to have the perfect konomel, the amount of coconut cream to be used is very critical. The master konomel maker calls all the shots. She knows by experience how many coconuts are needed to produce the exact amount of cream to mix with the konomel paste to produce the desired outcome and she lets the men and boys know. Often, the master konomel maker is the eldest among the females in the family and she wields her matriarchic power in such a manner that makes the Queen looks like a timid new recruit in a convent full of butch nuns.
5. During the final stage, the konomel paste is divided into portions and placed into the naoro’s and kapu’s. A naoro-ful of konomel often weighs fifty to sixty pounds and a kapu twenty-five to thirty. The master konomel-maker orders one of the strong men to knead the konomel paste. So while he’s doing that, the master measures and pours in the coconut cream into the container mixing it with the paste. The mix will have to be just right or the product will, like fish and tourists, stink in three days. When it’s done, the master will put the final layer of coconut cream on top and uses her hand like a trowel to apply the final finish. Unlike konomels from Lekinioch, Satowan and the other neighboring islands where gothic arts are drawn on them, the Oneop konomel is bare, smooth and unblemished as a baby’s bottom. The final product is then covered with banana leaves and stored in the main house. No body will partake of this delicious feast until the next day when the elders divide it up among the members of the family including their guests and those that help in its preparation. (Final note: The art of eating konomel is unique. So, before you eat konomel, it is a good idea to get some training and lessons on the proper way to eat it beforehand. In fact there are two ways to eat konomel. First, if you are a male, it is advisable that you use your fore and middle finger together to scoop up the slippery paste (konomel is only eaten with the fingers--no utensils allowed). But the only way to ensure that the paste is stuck to your fingers is to stick those fingers into the konomel, swirl it around clockwise five times and then bring it up to your mouth. The swirling will cause the konomel to stick to your two digits and not fall off on its way to meet your mouth. Second, if you are a female, you use the same techniques as the males but use only one finger--your middle finger. This is a good technique because if you're mad at your husband or boyfriend, you can use this technique to get back at him and let him know how you feel. Stick your middle finger in the konomel, swirl it around clockwise five times, bring it to your mouth and smack your lips as you suck and swallow it. Keep the middle finger extended upward while staring into your hubby's pathetic eyes and whisper, "In your eyes!")