{J}icama: #AtoZChallenge 2016

Jicama.

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Okay.  I have to admit that my first experience with this (what I have come to learn) root was a couple of years ago.  While having lunch with one of my Philippine colleagues, she pulled from her lunch sac what looked to me like a potato, and began to peel it.  After watching her get all of the tough, bark-like skin off,  I couldn’t image what she was going to do with this ‘potato ‘.

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Not afraid to ask a question, if it means that I will learn something new,  I asked her about this ‘potato’ that she seemed content to eat raw.  She gave me an abridged cultural lesson that included a brief intro of the veggie before offering a taste.  Can I say that I was pleasantly surprised!  What I expected was the starchy taste of a potato. What I got was the juicy hybrid flavors of a savory apple, the crunch of water chestnut and the sweetness of a pear.  Yep!!!!  Couldn’t believe it!  This was reeeally good!

Native to Mexico (but no stranger in Latin America and South-East Asian countries) the plant is a member of the bean family.  It grows on vines that can reach up to twenty feet in length.  The root is the only edible portion if the plant;  its leaves and seeds contain a mild toxin!  WHOA!

 Here’s a little more about the WHAT

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And WHY of this food

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Today, Jicama is a stable on my ‘must have‘ grocery list.  I’ve even learned to pronounce it correctly – [HEE ka ma].

Enjoy!

Have you cooked with Jicama?

Do tell…..

Next. Letter {K}