Kalo was by far the most important plant to early Hawaiians. Kalo was the staple food through the main Hawaiian Islands and is still consumed in large quantities to this day.

Kalo comes in two forms; dryland and wetland. There were 300 varieties grown specifically for poi production. Poi was created by cooking the corm (root) of the kalo and then pounded with water to create poi kalo.

Poi is essential to the Polynesian diet and was eaten with nearly every meal. There are several varieties of kalo; Hawaiians had poi that was purple, yellow, and white depending on which type they used.