malanga

[muh-lang-guh]

noun

1. a thick, fleshy-leaved South American plant, Xanthosoma atrovirens, of the arum family, having leaves up to 3 feet (90 centimeters) long and nearly 2 feet (60 centimeters) wide.

Word History and Origins

Origin of malanga¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from Latin American Spanish, from Kongo malánga “taro”

Example Sentences

A month after Hurricane Ian hit Cuba, Diaz was farming malanga root, a Cuban staple that is more resilient to climate change, but less profitable than beans.

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Filling, starchy vegetables like plantains, name, malanga and yautia are not profitable crops, but they were staples long before the arrival of mainland restaurant chains in the 1950s.

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"Chávez has only one idea," said a nearby fruit vendor, Roberto González, 64, chopping a purple malanga as he talked about Chávez's socialist revolution.

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But the special delight of the Samoan is the malanga.

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But the special delight of the Samoan is the malanga. 

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