Dasheen is also known as Taro (Polynesian word). The larger and longer it is, then it is referred to as the West Indian dasheen. If it is smaller and round, it is called a taro from Asia. Like yam, it is the tuber (a short thick rounded root) that is eaten.
First cultivated in tropical America, dasheen spread to Africa in the mid 1800s. It has the most flavour of all of the starchy tropical tubers, consisting of a slightly earthy taste, and is more like nuts than potatoes in flavour.
Dasheen must be eaten cooked, as it is extremely toxic when raw. Peeled and boiled or fried, the dasheen should have yellow, reddish or grey flesh. The Caribbean Hut use it in their wholesome soups.
Caribbean Hut,