Because of the taro root's popularity with the early civilizations that inhabited Hawaii, more than 350 varieties of taro root were previously grown on the islands. However, today that number has dwindled down to seven to twelve varieties.
Taro root is a starchy tuber vegetable that looks like, and can be used similar to, a potato.
It does, however, have a hairy outer coating on its surface that is similar to the coating on a coconut. Because of this, when preparing to use a taro root, the root's outer skin must first be removed. This procedure is easy to do. However, some individual's can acquire a skin irritation towards the juices that are secreted by the taro root as its skin is being removed. Therefore, to be on the safe side, when peeling a taro root's skin, use protective rubber gloves.