Chemotypic variation explaining traditional selection of tropical root crops in Vanuatu, South Pacific

In Vanuatu, Melanesia, root crops (aroids, cassava, sweet potato and yams) are staples. Several methods exist and are employed to process and cook these foods such as boiling, roasting or baking on hot stones. In Vanuatu, unlike other Melanesian and Pacific countries, these starchy foods are processed into the traditional dish called laplap, which is a pudding-like dish prepared from hand-grated fruits, corms, roots or tubers. The raw paste is wrapped in Heliconia indica leaves and slowly steamed in a ground-oven. Producers and consumers alike are unanimous to state that some cultivars are suitable for laplap while others are not. It is still unknown what the chemical characteristics of so-called “good” varieties are and how chemotypes are traditionally selected.