JICAMA

Ok, so we are probably the only person in American who thought it was pronounced the way it is spelled. Then again, back in 1976, when we saw our first road sign for La Jolla, we thought it was pronounced the way it is spelled, too. Gosh are we dumb or what? (Hey, we took 10 years of French and several of Latin and German. We did not take Spanish.)

Anyway, we only recently learned how to pronounce the name, but we have long enjoyed eating it. We got curious, just what is jicama anyway. This is what we learned:

The jícama plant is a vine native to the tropical Americas The root’s exterior is yellow and papery, while its inside is creamy white with a crisp texture that resembles that of a raw potato or pear. The flavor is sweet and starchy. It is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon juice, and powdered chile. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes.

In contrast to the root, the remainder of the jícama plant is very poisonous; the seeds contain the toxin rotenone, which is used to poison insects and fish. So, do not eat those parts!!!

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber. It is composed of 86-90% water; it contains only trace amounts of protein and lipids. Its sweet flavor comes from the oligofructose inulin (also called fructo-oligosaccharide), which the human body does not metabolize; this makes the root an ideal sweet snack for diabetics and dieters.

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 °C to 16 °C (53 °F to 60 °F); colder temperatures will damage the root. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

We hope you took notes- there will be a test next week!