What the Heck Is Devil’s Tongue? The Strange Plant Behind Konjac and Shirataki Noodles
Find out more about this exotic root with a sinister name!
Walk past a devil’s tongue plant in bloom and you will not forget it. A waxy, dark-red bract opens like a fluted goblet, and a long, fleshy spike rises straight up from the middle. For a day or two it smells terrible (on purpose, so flies pollinate it), and then it goes quiet for another year. This is one of the most theatrical plants you can grow in a pot. It is also the source of shirataki noodles, konjac jelly, and several of the strangest snacks in the Japanese convenience store.
Quick Reference
- What it is: the tuberous Asian plant Amorphophallus konjac, also called konjac or konnyaku.
- Where it grows: native to subtropical and tropical East Asia, including China, Japan, and Korea.
- The kitchen connection: the corm is dried, milled, and turned into shirataki noodles, konjac jelly, and konnyaku cakes.
- Bloom signature: a tall, dark-red spadix wrapped in a deep, frilled spathe; flowers carry a strong, carrion-like scent for a day or two.
- Cousins: the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) is the giant cousin grown in botanic gardens for its rare bloom.
- Why the name: the long, tongue-like spadix sticking out of the deep red bloom gave it both “devil’s tongue” and “voodoo lily” in English.
The Plant Itself
Devil’s tongue is Amorphophallus konjac, a corm-forming perennial in the arum family, the same family as jack-in-the-pulpit, calla lily, and skunk cabbage. Native to subtropical and tropical East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia), it has been cultivated in Japan for more than a thousand years for food and craft. The plant spends most of its life as a single, big, deeply divided leaf rising from an underground corm. A mature corm can weigh several pounds. After dormancy, the plant occasionally skips the leaf and goes straight to a bloom.
The bloom is the showstopper. A tall spadix sheathed in a maroon, ruffled spathe, often two to three feet tall on a mature plant. For one to two days the flower releases the smell of rotting meat to attract carrion-flies for pollination. The scent fades quickly, and the leaf returns later in the season. Devil’s tongue’s much larger cousin, the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum), follows the same pattern at giant scale, and is the bloom botanic gardens livestream when their specimen finally opens.
Where the Name Comes From
English speakers reached for a name that matched the look. The long, fleshy spike rising from the dark red bloom suggested a forked tongue, which gave the plant both “devil’s tongue” and “voodoo lily.” Japanese keeps it more literal: konnyaku for the prepared food and konjac for the plant itself. The Latin genus Amorphophallus is even blunter; it means “misshapen phallus,” a botanist’s nod to the spike’s shape. Whichever name you use, the plant earns it.
Konjac in the Kitchen
Most people meet devil’s tongue at the dinner table, not in the garden. The corm is harvested, peeled, dried, and milled into konjac flour, which is rich in a soluble fiber called glucomannan. Glucomannan is what gives finished konjac products their unique chew. Three classics come out of that flour:
- Shirataki noodles (“white waterfall”): translucent, low-calorie noodles used cold in salads, hot in sukiyaki, and in stir-fries. They have almost no flavor of their own and take on whatever sauce you cook with them.
- Konnyaku cakes: firm, jelly-like blocks sliced into miso soup, oden, simmered dishes, and traditional New Year’s feasts.
- Konjac jelly: bite-sized fruit-flavored cups, popular as snacks. The texture is springy rather than soft; chew thoroughly.
Glucomannan also shows up as a supplement marketed for weight management and digestive support. The science is mixed and dosage matters; talk with a doctor before starting any new supplement, especially one that swells with water in the stomach.
Folklore and Cultural Notes
In Japan, konnyaku has a place in folklore as a body-cleansing food. Older traditions held that eating konnyaku at the New Year, or after a long illness, helped “sweep the sand” from the digestive tract. The fiber-rich, almost-zero-calorie food does behave that way. Konjac cakes are also tied to specific regional festivals in Gunma Prefecture, which produces about 90 percent of Japan’s konjac crop. In the older Chinese pharmacopoeia, konjac flour appears in remedies for skin conditions and digestion.
Can You Grow Devil’s Tongue at Home?
Yes, and many gardeners do. A devil’s tongue corm bought from a specialty nursery will grow in a tall pot of well-drained, rich soil. Plant the corm two to three inches deep with the growing point up. Keep the pot in bright, indirect light, water steadily through the growing season, and let it go dry during winter dormancy. The plant prefers temperatures above 50°F, so most North American gardeners overwinter it indoors. Mature corms will eventually flower; younger ones throw only the umbrella-like leaf. Be ready for the smell when the bloom opens. It is not subtle.
Devil’s Tongue vs. the Corpse Flower
They are cousins, not the same plant. The giant corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) is native to Sumatra and can throw a single bloom over eight feet tall when it flowers, which it does only every several years. Devil’s tongue (Amorphophallus konjac) is the smaller, more reliable plant: bloom up to about three feet, a corm sized for a kitchen pot, and a far shorter flowering cycle. Both smell awful for the same reason (carrion-fly pollination), but one fits in a windowsill and the other needs a greenhouse.
Where to Try Konjac
Look in the refrigerated section of any well-stocked Asian grocery for shirataki noodles in a water-filled pouch, or konnyaku blocks beside the tofu. Major U.S. supermarkets now stock shirataki under brand names like House Foods Tofu Shirataki and Miracle Noodle. Rinse them well before cooking; they hold a faint mineral smell from the packing liquid that disappears with a hot rinse. For konjac jelly, the snack aisle of any Asian market carries individual cups; warn kids to chew rather than swallow whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is devil’s tongue the same as a corpse flower?
They are cousins. Devil’s tongue is Amorphophallus konjac, a smaller plant with a bloom around two to three feet tall. The corpse flower is Amorphophallus titanum, native to Sumatra, with a bloom that can top eight feet. Both smell like rotting meat for the same pollination reason.
Is konjac safe to eat?
Cooked konjac products are safe and have been eaten in Japan and China for centuries. Konjac jelly cups have caused choking incidents in children when swallowed whole, so they are sold with chew-thoroughly warnings.
What do shirataki noodles taste like?
Almost nothing on their own. The texture is springy and chewy, and they take on the flavor of whatever sauce or broth you cook them in. Rinse before use to remove a faint mineral smell from the packing liquid.
Does devil’s tongue smell?
Only when it blooms, and only for a day or two. The bloom mimics rotting meat to attract carrion flies for pollination. Outside of bloom, the plant is odorless.
Can you grow devil’s tongue in the United States?
Yes, in a pot. The plant needs warm temperatures (above 50°F), bright indirect light, and a winter dormancy. Most U.S. gardeners overwinter it indoors and bring it outside in summer.
Jaime McLeod
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
- Jaime McLeod
- Jaime McLeod
- Jaime McLeod
- Jaime McLeod
looks delicious. cant wait to make yam cakes!
Having pulled tongue with El Diablo’s sisters many times under many moons, i must say,,,,,,,spicy,tangy,drippng with honey and a small flame to remind me what not to do next. i thank yall for this opportunity. jk
just saying, love reading this stuff and boy, they do their homework!!! awesome…
Demoniker? Nice word 🙂 I love the whole “What the heck is…” series!
That looks like something left in the barn by some animal and has taken on a life of it own. Don’t think it will ever grace my table in Kentucky. 🙂
Speaking of the Devil, I wonder if you have ever heard or seen one called “Devil Claw”?
I grew up in Oklahoma and had many of them grab you as you walked threw the fields, pasture and no telling where. They are a weed I think any way they come off a plant, and sorta like hand of claws. Now they can put a hurt on you. I have not seen one in many a year, and now of course here in Florida they are not heard of.
I use to have a couple but they have disappeared during the years, misplaced in the junk I guess. I did try to start a seed in a planter here but had no luck. Thanks for the memory. Norma