Real Food Encyclopedia | Jicama

Tuberous jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) is native to Mexico, and historically valued and eaten by both Mayans and Aztecs. The Mayans mention the crisp and juicy vegetable numerous times in the Books of Chilam Balam, a collection of Mayan manuscripts from the 17^th and 18^th centuries. In the 16^th century, Spanish traders introduced the tubers to the Philippines, from where they spread to Indonesia, China and further on into West Africa.

Fun facts about jicama:

There are many names for jicama, including “yam bean,” “Mexican turnip” and “Chinese potato.”
The Spanish word “jicama” comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) xicama.

What to look for when buying jicama

Jicamas look like giant, round potatoes, with light brown, almost flaky skin. Peel the skin off to reveal a creamy white interior, with crispy flesh that has the same texture as an apple or pear but is less sweet than either of those. Look for smaller jicamas — any root that pushes the three to four-pound mark is likely to be tough, fibrous and less sweet. Avoid any roots that feel mushy, are cracked or have black or discolored spots on them.

Sustainability of jicama

Jicama is not widely cultivated, and unless you live in Central America, it is generally imported. Although there is a tiny local jicama-growing industry in Texas and Florida, and they occasionally pop up in California farmers’ markets, the bulk of the jicama in U.S. markets are shipped from Mexico or even further south.

Seasonality

Jicama is a winter crop, generally available from November or December through spring.

Geography

Jicamas are actually in the bean family. Pachyrhizus erosus (jicama) is in the Fabaceae (bean) family, counting as cousins green beans, peas, black beans and chickpeas. And although the tuberous root is the part of the jicama plant we most commonly eat, its bean pods, similar to lima beans, are also edible. There are two types of jicama that are cultivated: jicama de agua and jicama de leche. The former is round and squat with clear juice, while the latter is more tapered in shape, with milky-white juice. We most commonly see jicama de agua in markets in North America.

Jicamas grow much like other pole beans — vining in habit and produce white flowers, but the root is fairly slow growing, taking three to six months until it can be harvested. They need a long, warm growing season, and cannot be successfully cultivated in most of the U.S. — parts of Florida, Texas and Hawai’i are the exception. The vast majority of jicamas we see in U.S. markets are grown in Mexico, Central America or South America.

Eating jicama

Storing

Unwrapped in your refrigerator crisper drawer, jicama will stay fresh for two to three weeks. A cut jicama can be wrapped well in plastic wrap and stored for up to a week in the ‘fridge.

Cooking

Jicama tastes kind of like a super crunchy apple crossed with a potato. To prep, you must first peel the brown skin, but you may also need to remove an additional layer underneath the skin if it is tough and fibrous. You will generally not have to do this with younger, smaller ones. The tubers are almost always used raw in salads, salsas (see recipe below) and as crudités — the Aztecs got it right in revering the roots’ crispy, refreshing texture.

However, jicama can also be fried (like spiralized jicama fries), tucked into stir-fries to replace water chestnuts, boiled and mashed like potatoes or baked. They pair fantastically with citrus of all types, creamy avocado, chiles and chile powder, and with pungent herbs like cilantro and mint. In Mexico, a common snack is jicama cut into sticks, tossed in chile powder and sprinkled with lime juice.

Preserving

Crispy, crunchy jicama can be pickled (try bread and butter pickled jicama) or made into a jicama relish for canning. It can also be lactofermented: here’s a recipe for jicama apple cumin kraut and lacto-fermented jicama pickles.

Nutrition

Jicama is very low in calories and high in fiber, making them a great snacking choice. They are also rich in Vitamin C and contain small amounts of folate, iron, potassium and manganese. The roots even have omega-3 and -6 fatty acids.

Top photo by Brent Hofacker/Adobe Stock.