Long tradition of tasty Songjiang eddo soup

Ti Gong

Sweet Chinese eddo soup is a local delicacy of Pinghubang Village, an area about 3 kilometers south of the Songjiang Railway Station.

The soup dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with a history of more than 300 years. The soup smells fragrant, with the eddos – similar to taro – tasting sticky, soft and slithery.

Local red-stalk eddos are the major ingredient. The skin is removed and they are then cut into small cubes. The pieces are then put into a wok. Crystal bricks and water are added. The mixture is then heated until the water boils, and stewed on a mild heat until the eddos turn soft.

Sugar is then added and the soup is further stewed until it becomes sticky.

In the past, local farmers used to put the sweet soup they had made into special wooden buckets. Then they carried the buckets with a shoulder pole as far as the City God Temple in downtown Shanghai to sell the soup.

It is said the wooden buckets were able to keep the soup warm for quite a long time.