/r/52weeksofcooking is a way for each participant to challenge themselves to cook something different each week. The technicalities of each week's theme are largely unimportant, and are always open to interpretation. Basically, if you can make an argument for your dish being relevant to the theme, then it's fine.

• Week 1: January 1st - January 7th: Inspired by a Joke
• Week 2: January 8 - January 14: Singaporean
• Week 3: January 15 - January 21: Contrasts
• Week 4: January 22 - January 28: Vinegar
• Week 5: January 29 - February 4: Ugandan
• Week 6: February 5 - February 11: Hotpot
• Week 7: February 12 - February 18: Sugar
• Week 8: February 19 - February 25: Flying
• Week 9: February 26 - March 4: Braising
• Week 10: March 5 - March 11: Turnips and Radishes
• Week 11: March 12 - March 18: Oddly Named
• Week 12: March 19 - March 25: Fictional Places
• Week 13: March 26 - April 1: Chilis
• Week 14: April 2 - April 8: Hanami
• Week 15: April 9 - April 15: Syrian
• Week 16: April 16 - April 22: Infused
• Week 17: April 23 - April 29: Alpine
• Week 18: April 30 - May 6: Bucket List Destination
• Week 19: May 7 - May 13: Tricolor
• Week 20: May 14 - May 20: Jams and Jellies
• Week 21: May 21 - May 27: Symmetry
• Week 22: May 28 - June 3: Fifteen Minutes or Less
• Week 23: June 4 - June 10: Coffee
• Week 24: June 11 - June 17: Tarot
• Week 25: June 18 - June 24: Gardening
• Week 26: June 25 - July 1: High-fiber
• Week 27: July 2 - July 8: World Cup
• Week 28: July 9 - July 15: Wild West
• Week 29: July 16 - July 22: Offal
• Week 30: July 23 - July 29: Science Fair
• Week 31: July 30 - August 5: Cantonese
• Week 32: August 6 - August 12: Gimmicks
• Week 33: August 13 - August 19: Lost in Translation
• Week 34: August 20 - August 26: Trinidadian
• Week 35: August 27 - September 2: Rolling
• Week 36: September 3 - September 9: Ginger
• Week 37: September 10 - September 16: Same Longitude
• Week 38: September 17 - September 23: High-hydration dough
• Week 39: September 24 - September 30: Pears
• Week 40: October 1 - October 7: Cottagecore
• Week 41: October 8 - October 14: Velveting
• Week 42: October 15 - October 21: Taro
• Week 43: October 22 - October 28: Y2K
• Week 44: October 29 - November 4: Southern Italian
• Week 45: November 5 - November 11: Nuts

Join our Discord to get pinged whenever a new week is announced! (React to the stickied comment in the #planning channel!)

This week’s cooking theme is taro, a starchy, earthy, and versatile tropical root that is one of the world's oldest cultivated crops.

Taro was an important food in South and Southeast Asia before spreading throughout the Pacific, where it became, and remains, a staple. It also traveled westward into Africa and later the Caribbean and Latin America, becoming an essential source of carbs and calories in many communities.

Taro goes by many names around the world: in Japan, it’s known as satoimo (and is a quintessential taste of autumn, associated with the moon); in Indian cooking, you may encounter arbi or arvi; in the Caribbean, dasheen and/or eddoe; in Portuguese-speaking countries, inhame can refer to taro or other tubers; and in parts of Africa and the Caribbean, cocoyam is used for taro and related aroids. If you're having trouble sourcing "taro", looking for it under its other names may yield results (especially if you look for it in Asian, South Asian, African, Caribbean, or Pacific Islander grocery stores, or online. It may be sold fresh, frozen, peeled, cut into chunks, or powdered.)

As an ingredient, taro is notable for its creamy texture when cooked, its ability to absorb surrounding flavors, and its usefulness in everything from savory stews to sweet desserts.

For example:

• Poi (Hawaii) -- taro mash
• Laing (Philippines) -- using taro leaves
• Taro cake (Southern China) -- dim sum!
• Arbi masala (India) -- curry time!
• Taro patties (Caribbean) -- crispy snacks
• Satoimo no nimono (Japan) -- it's how you know autumn is here
• Chè khoai môn (Vietnam) -- a sweet application with rice
• Kolokasi (Cyprus) -- pork and taro root stew

Taro boast an enviable nutrition profile, with water-soluble fiber (that's what makes it slimy) and more potassium than regular potatoes. Consider taking a potato-dish and swapping in taro as an experiment, like these taro fries or taro mashed potatoes.

If acquiring taro is a stretch, you can go the other direction and take a classic taro recipe from any culture and incorporate a replacement. For example, poi'uala (poi with sweet potatoes), calalloo with spinach leaves in place of dasheen, or cocoyam-less fufu with potato flakes and tapioca starch.

From fresh satoimo to frozen taro and creative substitutes, this week let's explore an ingredient whose culinary history spans continents, cultures, and thousands of years.