Eddoe or eddo (Colocasia antiquorum) is a species in genus Colocasia,[1] a tropical vegetable, closely related to taro (dasheen, Colocasia esculenta), which is primarily used for its thickened stems (corms).[2] [3] In most cultivars there is an acrid taste that requires careful cooking.[2] The young leaves can also be cooked and eaten, but (unlike taro) they have a somewhat acrid taste.[2]
Linnaeus originally described two species which are now known as Colocasia esculenta and Colocasia antiquorum of the cultivated plants that are known by many names including eddoes, dasheen, taro, but many later botanists consider them all to be members of a single, very variable species, the correct name for which is Colocasia esculenta.
The English word eddo may have its origin in Akan, from a form cognate with Twi o1de3 "yam"; or Fante o1do3.[4]
Alternatively, it may originate in the Igbo language, specifically from the word édè meaning 'taro' (cocoyam). This hypothesis would be coherent with the significant historical presence of the Igbo people in Jamaica, who have had a considerable influence on the local culture and language.
Eddoes appear to have been developed as a crop in China and Japan and introduced from there to the West Indies where they are sometimes called "Chinese eddoes".[2] They grow best in rich loam soil with good drainage, but they can be grown in poorer soil, in drier climates, and in cooler temperatures than taro.[2]
Eddoes are also sometimes called malangas in Spanish-speaking areas, but that name is also used for other plants of the family Araceae, including tannia (Xanthosoma spp.).[2] Yautias is a more specific term.
Eddoes make part of the generic classification cará or inhame of the Portuguese language which, beside taro, also includes root vegetables of the genera Alocasia and Dioscorea. They are the most commonly eaten Portuguese: inhames/carás in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, as well as surrounding regions of all.[5] They are also fairly common in Northeastern Brazil, where they might be called Portuguese: batata (literally "potato"), but less so than true yams of the genus Colocasia. According to Brazilian folk knowledge, the eddoes most appropriate to be cooked are those that are more deeply pink, or at least pinkish lavender, in the area where the leaves were cut.
The 1889 book The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that C. antiquorum: