Konnyaku (こんにゃく) is a rubbery and somewhat flavorless food that appears in certain Japanese dishes. It has a consistency that’s like a cross between a rubber sole and Jell-O that gives your teeth a funny sensation when you bite into it. It turns out that konnyaku is a jelly made from a type of potato. The potato in question is known in English as konjac. Other colorful names for the potato are devil’s tongue, voodoo lily, elephant foot and snake palm. How Konnyaku Goes from Potato to Wobbly Slab? What I hear is that: the potato is warmed and softened and then mixed with water. Once the mixing is complete, it’s dried out and ground. It’s then mixed with ash from burnt green oak wood to give it its stiff consistency. Then, it’s patted into shape and boiled. Broom of the Stomach :-) Konnyaku in all its forms is extremely healthy. It’s high in a type of fiber called glucomannan. It also may help to normalize cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. The Japanese call it inohouki (胃のほうき – broom of the stomach) because it does a great job of cleaning out your small intestines. That’s secret code for ‘it makes you poo.’ It’s used for this purpose in Chinese medicine and that’s actually how it first came to Japan. Konnyaku appears in Udon, a type of Japanese stew filled with all kinds of goodies, and various types of soup. It’s also stir-fried and the thin stringy konnyaku is eaten as noodles, most notably in sukiyaki. It doesn’t have much flavor and it has a consistency that you either love or hate.