This is one of those things that regularly appears on the 'exotic' stand in the fruit and veg section of our larger supermarkets, along with mooli, yams, okra and dudhi. It's one of those things you might pick up and look at from various angles, wondering "What's one of these? To which cultural group is this an everyday thing? What would I do with it? Would the kids even eat it if I bought one and had a go?" Okay, you might not. But I did. So now you don't have to!
They are found in places like the Caribbean and are popular with West Indian cultures. We have a great many people of West Indian descent in our area, so it's no surprise that our supermarkets stock these corms - they know their target market! Apparently, they are also a staple in parts of Africa, but I never encountered them in any of the parts I visited. I must not have visited the right parts - after all, it is a large continent!
Eddoes look a bit like hairy, striped potatoes, and you can pretty much treat them as you would a potato. Chips, mash, roast, sauteed... the whole shebang.
To be honest, that is really all I need to say about them. They have a slightly different taste: sweeter and slightly nutty, with a silkier in texture. They feel a little slimy when you're working with the raw version, but don't be put off, they don't taste slimy when cooked.
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| Our eddo experiment... |
We tried this recipe, which has them coarsely mashed with sauteed onion and a dash of chilli. Very nice, they were, too. All four members of the family approved. Tesco has also provided a few recipes that are worth exploring.
I am from the caribbean and eddoes, yams, dasheens, potatoes (sweet and 'english' are referred to as 'ground provision'.
ReplyDeleteI use it in soups. Peel and put in pot (can be cut small) along with vegetables, meat and other ground provisions.
I also to make eddoe pie in the same way that you make mashed potatoes with cheese. Push in oven and let bake and voila.
Not sure if there is scientific proof but it is said to be a blood-builder.
Thanks for the tips. I'm going to have to try a few of those ideas.
ReplyDeleteGlad to help...any questions I am willing to help :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in northern Nigeria (west Africa) they were called cocoyams and sold at truck stops, boiled or deep-fried and served with twists of salt and cayenne.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this! I've just bought one as I saw it for the first time in my local supermarket and thought, "What in the hell is this hairy ape-bollock used for". Had to Google what an Eddoe was, and your blog came up! I'm now about to cook it, apprehensively! I guess I have to peel it first? ;)
ReplyDeletePeeling your hair ape-bollocks is advisable. The skin isn't as pleasant to eat as potato skin. Don't be put off by the fact that the raw eddo is slightly slimy to the touch when peeled.
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