When the Bridge and Tunnel Club spied eddoes for sale in a West Indian shop in Queens, we remarked upon how very taro-like it appeared: misshapen . . . potato-sized . . . dark brown . . . bearded. In fact, it is taro, sucka! China says "taro," the West Indies say "eddo." Africa says "eddo," India says "taro." Should we call the whole thing off? We opt to call the calling off off.

This fuzzy tuber can be baked, boiled, fried or mashed, served savory or sweet, but don't eat it raw because its juice will burn your throat. We boiled it.

After boiling, peel off the bearded skin. You can slice and fry or just chunk it up, but we chose to mash. You will find that eddoes have a slight sweetness even without any added sugar, which makes them a nice complement to spicy foods. Visit our recipe for Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce to feel the burn of which I speak.