A perennial plant with edible shoots and roots, native to East Asia and used in traditional Asian cuisine.
From Japanese 'udo' (独活). The plant is Aralia cordata, and the word entered English through trade and culinary contexts with Japan and Korea.
Udo is practically invisible in Western cuisine despite being cultivated for over 2,000 years in Asia—it's a reminder that our 'standard' vegetables are just the ones that happened to be profitable in Western markets.
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