Jicama Could Be A New Veggie For You To Try

This could well be a vegetable you have never experienced before – I know I haven't! As we are such keen vegetable eaters in our home, I am going to have to find a source.

The texture and taste of jicama

Jicama has a crisp, white, solid flesh with a texture similar to a turnip but here is the surprise, a taste like an apple.

The flesh may be tasty but the thick, tough skin is inedible (and even toxic) but all the better to protect the goodness inside.

This root vegetable originated in Mexico but now grows in the warmer climates of Central America, the Caribbean, the Andes Mountain regions and Southern Asia.

How to choose and store jicama

Once you have found your source, look for firm, round tubers. They should be heavy for their size with no softness or shriveling. You can safely store them in a cool, dark place for up to four weeks but they will need to be refrigerated (for up to a week) once cut. Peel and store pieces (tightly wrapped) in the crisper.

Preparation of jicama

Wash them just as you would do potatoes before slicing off the top and bottom. Remove the rest of the peel in strips from top to bottom with a knife. This versatile veggie can be chopped, cubed, sliced into fine sticks and then cooked or even eaten raw to be used in stir fries, salads, soups or stews. Jicama is a good companion with oranges and apples or carrots and onions along with meats and seafood. You will find it featured in Mexican recipes. Just use sparingly because of its high carbohydrates content.

Some suggestions are:

• Cut jicama into matchsticks before tossing with balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil and topping with slices of avocado, a squeeze of lime juice and a little minced red onion.

• Peel and slice, sprinkle with lime juice and chili powder before serving with salsa and guacamole.

• Use jicama as a substitute for water chestnuts in Asian dishes – because it retains its crispness when cooked.

• Cut in sticks and dip in "pumpkin and sun flower seed" butters.

And those health benefits?

• Low in calories but with plenty of vital nutrients, jicama is high in a fiber known as oligofructose inulin (with its zero calories). Inulin promotes good bone health by enhancing absorption of calcium from other foods, protecting against osteoporosis.

• Inulin acts as a probiotic role in the intestine, promoting good bacteria growth to maintain both a healthy colon and balanced immunity.

• Jicama has an especially low glycemic index.

• High in vitamin C, jicama provides 44% of the daily value in each serving.

• Jicama is a powerful antioxidant protecting against free radicals and, in the process, possibly preventing cancer, inflammation, viral coughs, colds and infections.

• High in potassium, jicama lowers the risk of heart disease while vitamins like folates, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, and thiamin are present along with the minerals magnesium, copper, iron and manganese.

Perhaps it is time to give this previously ignored vegetable a chance to shine!

Sources

Appendix 7. Nutritional goals for age-sex groups based on dietary reference intakes and Dietary Guidelines recommendations. (2015). 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-7/. (Accessed, 7 November 2021).

Basic report: 09037 avocados, raw, all commercial varieties (2018, April)
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/09037?fgcd=&manu=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=default&order=asc&qlookup=avocado&ds=SR&qt=&qp=&qa=&qn=&q=&ing=.  (Accessed, 7 November 2021).

Basic Report:  09004, Apples, raw, without skin. (2018, April).Retrieved from
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/09004?fgcd=&manu=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=default&order=asc&qlookup=Apples%2C+raw%2C+without+skin&ds=SR&qt=&qp=&qa=&qn=&q=&ing=.(Accessed, 7 November 2021).

Basic Report:  09040, Bananas, raw. (2018, April)
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/09040?fgcd=&manu=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=default&order=asc&qlookup=banana&ds=SR&qt=&qp=&qa=&qn=&q=&ing=.  (Accessed, 7 November 2021).