Jícama

Jícama

Taxobox
name = "Pachyrhizus erosus"



image_width = 200px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Fabales
familia = Fabaceae
subfamilia = Faboideae
genus = "Pachyrhizus"
species = "P. erosus"
binomial = "Pachyrhizus erosus"
binomial_authority = (L.) Urb.

Jícama (Spanish: "hee"-kah-mah, from Nahuatl "xicamatl" "hee"-kah-mahtl), also Mexican Potato and Mexican Turnip, is the name of a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. Jicama is one species in the genus "Pachyrhizus" that is commonly called yam bean, although the "yam bean" sometimes is another name for Jicama. The other, major species of yam beans are also indigenous within the Americas.

The jicama vine can reach a height of 4-5 metres given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths of up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kilograms. The root's exterior is yellow and papery, while its inside is creamy white with a crisp texture that resembles raw potato or pear. The flavor is sweet and starchy, reminiscent of some apples or raw green beans, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. It can also be cut into thin wedges and dipped in salsa as a healthier alternative to corn chips.

Due to its growing popularity, cultivation of jícama has recently spread from Mexico to other parts of Central America, China and Southeast Asia where notable uses of raw jícama include "popiah" and salads such as "yusheng" and "rojak". Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food, where it is called "cây củ đậu" (in northern Vietnam) or "củ sắng" or "sắn nước" (in southern Vietnam).In Mexico it is very popular in salads, fresh fruit combos, fruit bars, soups, and other cooked 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.

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 flavour comes from the oligofructose inulin (also called fructo-oligosaccharide).

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

In the Philippines, Jicama is known locally as "singkamas".

References

* [http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Produce/ProduceFacts/Veg/jicama.shtml UC Davis]
* [http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Pachyrhizus/index.html UCLA Botany-Plants and Civilization]
* [http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/vegetables/jicama.html Texas A&M University Agricultural Extension]
* Spanish Royal Academy Dictionary


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • jicama — ☆ jicama [hē′kə mə ] n. [MexSp jícama < Nahuatl] the large, white, fleshy root of a Mexican vine, eaten raw or cooked …   English World dictionary

  • jícama — (Del nahua xicamatl). f. Cuba, Ecuad.), El Salv.), Hond. y Méx. Tubérculo comestible o medicinal, sobre todo el de forma parecida a la cebolla aunque más grande, duro, quebradizo, blanco y jugoso, que se come aderezado con sal y limón …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • jícama — s f 1 Tubérculo comestible semejante por su forma a una cebolla, aunque de mayor diámetro pues alcanza hasta 20 cm. Es muy jugoso, duro y quebradizo, blanco por dentro y envuelto por una película fibrosa de color café blanquecino. Se come crudo,… …   Español en México

  • Jicama — Pois patate Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Nom vernaculaire ou nom normalisé ambigu : Le terme « Pois patate » s applique, en français, à plusieurs taxons distincts …   Wikipédia en Français

  • jicama — /hee keuh meuh, hik euh /, n. the large, edible, tuberous root of a tropical American plant, Pachyrhizus erosus, of the legume family, eaten as a vegetable either raw or boiled. [1900 05; < MexSp < Nahuatl xicama, xicamatl] * * * vine… …   Universalium

  • Jicama — Yambohne Yambohne (Pachyrhizus erosus), Illustration. Systematik Unterklasse: Rosenähnliche (Rosidae) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • jícama — ► sustantivo femenino México BOTÁNICA Denominación de varios tubérculos comestibles o medicinales, sobre todo de uno parecido a la cebolla, aunque más grande, duro, quebradizo, blanco y jugoso, que se come aderezado con sal y limón. * * * jícama… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • jicama — noun Etymology: Mexican Spanish jícama, from Nahuatl xīcamatl Date: circa 1909 an edible starchy tuberous root of a tropical American vine (Pachyrhizus erosus) of the legume family that is eaten raw or cooked …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • jicama — [ hi:kəma] noun the crisp white fleshed edible tuber of the yam bean, used in Mexican cookery. Origin C17: from Mex. Sp. jícama …   English new terms dictionary

  • jicama — ji•ca•ma [[t]ˈhi kə mə, ˈhɪk ə [/t]] n. pl. mas 1) pln coo the large tuberous root of a tropical American twining plant, Exogonium bracteotum, of the legume family, eaten raw or cooked 2) pln the plant itself • Etymology: 1900–05; < MexSp… …   From formal English to slang

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