Eddoe
Eddoe | |
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Scientific classification![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Alismatales |
Family: | Araceae |
Genus: | Colocasia |
Species: | C. antiquorum
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Binomial name | |
Colocasia antiquorum | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Eddoeoreddo(Colocasia antiquorum) is aspeciesingenusColocasia,[2]a tropical vegetable, closely related totaro(dasheen,Colocasia esculenta), which is primarily used for its thickened stems (corms).[3][4]In most cultivars there is an acrid taste that requires careful cooking.[3]The young leaves can also be cooked and eaten, but (unlike taro) they have a somewhat acrid taste.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]Linnaeusoriginally described two species which are now known asColocasia esculentaandColocasia antiquorumof 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 isColocasia esculenta.[5][6]
Etymology
[edit]The English wordeddomay have its origin inAkan,from a form cognate withTwio1de3"yam"; orFanteo1do3.[7]
Alternatively, it may originate in theIgbo language,specifically from the wordédèmeaning 'taro' (cocoyam). This hypothesis would be coherent with the significant historicalpresence of the Igbo people in Jamaica,who have had a considerable influence on the local culture and language.
Cultivation
[edit]Eddoes appear to have been developed as a crop inChinaandJapanand introduced from there to theWest Indieswhere they are sometimes called "Chinese eddoes".[3]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.[3]
Eddoes are also sometimes calledmalangasin Spanish-speaking areas, but that name is also used for other plants of the familyAraceae,including tannia (Xanthosomaspp.).[3]Yautiasis a more specific term.
Eddoes make part of the generic classificationcaráorinhameof thePortuguese languagewhich, beside taro, also includesroot vegetablesof the generaAlocasiaandDioscorea.They are the most commonly eateninhames/carásin the states ofSão Paulo,Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, as well as surrounding regions of all.[8]They are also fairly common in Northeastern Brazil, where they might be calledbatata(literally "potato" ), but less so than true yams of the genusColocasia.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 bookThe Useful Native Plants of Australiarecords thatC. antiquorum:
is cultivated in most tropical countries, Egypt, India, etc., for the sake of its leaves, which when uncooked are acrid, but on boiling, the water being changed, they lose their acridity, and may be eaten as spinach. "(Treasury of Botany) Acid fruits are added to assist the removal of the acridity. Hindoos [sic.] and Mahometans [sic.] are very fond of all parts of the plants of this genus." (Dymock.) "When the crop is gathered in Fiji," says Dr. Seemann (Flora Vtliensis), "the tops of the tubers are cut off and at once replanted. The young leaves may be eaten like spinach, but, like the root, they require to be well cooked in order to destroy the acridity peculiar to aroideous plants. The Fi gian s prefer eating the cooked Taro when cold; Europeans as a rule like it quite hot, and, if possible, roasted. A considerable number of varieties are known, some better adapted for puddings, some for bread, or simply for boiling or baking. The outer marks of distinction chiefly rest upon the different tinge observable in the corm, leaf, stalks, and ribs of the leaves - white, yellowish, purple."[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Catalogue of Life: 26th February 2018".Archived fromthe originalon 28 March 2018.Retrieved28 March2018.
- ^Utilisation des aliments tropicaux: racines et tubercules(in French). Food & Agriculture Org. 1990. p. 35.ISBN978-92-5-202775-1.
- ^abcdefPurseglove, John William (1972).Tropical Crops: Monocotyledons.New York: Longman.ISBN978-0-582-46606-7.
- ^Tumuhimbise, R.; Talwana, H. L.; Osiru, D.S.O.; Serem, A.k.; Ndabikunze, B.k.; Nandi, J.O.M.; Palapala, V. (2009)."Growth and development of wetland-grown taro under different plant populations and seedbed types in Uganda".African Crop Science Journal.17(1). African Crop Science Society: 49–60.eISSN2072-6589.ISSN1021-9730.
- ^Albert F. Hill (1939),"The Nomenclature of the Taro and its Varieties",Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University,7(7): 113–118,doi:10.5962/p.295132
- ^"Colocasia antiquorum".Germplasm Resources Information Network.Agricultural Research Service,United States Department of Agriculture.Retrieved24 April2015.
- ^Entry "eddo"–Merriam-WebsterEnglish online dictionary. The numbers ino1do3indicatetone.
- ^Eatable: cará and inhame, column Nhac of the Paladar journal(in Portuguese)
- ^J. H. Maiden (1889).The useful native plants of Australia: Including Tasmania.Turner and Henderson, Sydney.