poi

American  

[poi, poh-ee] / pɔɪ, ˈpoʊ i /

noun

1. a Hawaiian dish made of the root of the taro baked, pounded, moistened, and fermented.

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poi ¹ British  

/ ˈpəʊɪ, pɔɪ /

noun

1. a Hawaiian dish made of the root of the taro baked, pounded to a paste, and fermented

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poi ² British  

/ pɔɪ /

noun

1. a ball of woven flax swung rhythmically in poi dances

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Etymology

Origin of poi

Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1815–25

Example Sentences

He now pounds poi in the traditional way, foremost to set an example for his three sons, part of the next generation of stewards for the Hawaiian culture.

From Salon

You can buy garden peas or petit pois – though they’re no different in terms of variety.

From BBC

When you think of taro, you'll likely first think of poi — the dish is popular in Hawaii and the Philippines, but it's very polarizing.

From Salon

I ate sea cucumbers and natto in Japan, poi in Hawaii, and morcilla when I lived in Madrid as a young adult.

From Salon

"The traditional thing people did with taro was make poi, and not everybody knows how to do that," he says, explaining that in the modern-era of city living, traditional cooking knowledge has been lost.

From Salon