Taro

Great confusion reigns among this group of tropical root vegetables but if one bears in mind that, shape and name apart, they all taste much the same, the confusion clears up. Taro belongs to the arum family and is known in Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad as coco, eddo and baddo, the leaves being called callaloo. A closely related group, the malangas, cultivated in many of the islands, are found in markets as malanga, dasheen, tanier, tannia, and yautia. Their leaves are also known as callaloo. The roots which come in a wide range of sizes have rather rough brown skin and flesh which ranges from white to yellowish to grey-white and purplish. Any recipe for potatoes can be used for these tubers. If taro is not available use yam or sweet potato (boniato) or even ordinary potato.