What exactly is jicama, and what does it taste like?
Jicama is a tuberous root with white flesh. The inside of the jicama has few nutrients, but it tastes like a combination of pear and potato. Jicamas can be eaten raw, and they are often used in salads to substitute for apples or pears that might otherwise be served as part of a salad course. When cooked, jicamas turn brown and become a bit sweet.
Is jicama healthier than potato?
Potatoes have much more calories than jicama – 77 kcal compared to 38 kcal per 100g – and also more nutritional value, including vitamins and minerals. We have compared several nutrient ratios in 100g of each to make a more accurate assessment: There are many ways to prepare jicama.
Is jicama a sometimes Veg, like sweet potato?
Jicama is a starchy root vegetable that people describe as tasting like a sweeter and juicer version of potato. It is low in calories, sugars, and fats, but rich in fiber and contains several essential vitamins and minerals. Jicama may be a good choice for people with diabetes or those on a low-sugar diet. Hereof, does jicama taste like potatoes?
Is a jicama a fruit or veggie?
Jicama is a vegetable, not a fruit, and the edible part of the jicama plant is the root. Jicamas, or root vegetables, are made from a combination of coconut oil, sugar, water, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
See more
Is jicama a vegetable or starch?
starchy root vegetableJicama is a starchy root vegetable that people describe as tasting like a sweeter and juicer version of potato. It is low in calories, sugars, and fats, but rich in fiber and contains several essential vitamins and minerals. Jicama may be a good choice for people with diabetes or those on a low-sugar diet.
What does jicama do to your body?
Jicama is a healthy food to include in your diet. It's high in several nutrients, fiber and antioxidants, which may provide health benefits, including improved digestion, weight loss and a reduced risk of disease. Plus, jicama is tasty and crunchy and can be eaten by itself or paired with many other foods.
Is jicama the same as sweet potato?
First grown in South and Central America, and used in all sorts of flavorful dishes, Jicama or the Mexican yam (yambean), is a sweet, juicy, crunchy tuber similar to a sweet potato, but without edible skin.
Is jicama good for you to lose weight?
Jicama is low in calories and high in minerals, water, and fiber, making it an excellent food option for weight loss. Jicama is a sweet tuber that is rich in complex carbohydrates (about 38 calories per 100 grams), low in sugar and fat, and a good source of fiber, which makes it an ideal choice for weight loss.
Does jicama cause gas and bloating?
Eating a serving of jicama along with other high-fiber foods may cause some digestive upsets. A large amount of fiber consumed in a short period of time can result in intestinal gas, abdominal cramps and bloating, according to MedlinePlus.
Is jicama good for constipation?
Jicama is also high in water, which may help ease constipation. Foods with a high water content like jicama can help you meet your daily fluid needs (16Trusted Source). Jicama contains high amounts of dietary fiber and water, both of which promote healthy bowel movements.
Can you eat too much jicama?
Jicama contains huge fiber content and so excessive consumption leads to digestive disorders like constipation and stomach ache. It is not advisable for people to eat the outer peels of jicama as it contains a highly toxic compound.
Is jicama a nightshade?
Now To The BIG Question: Is Jicama A Nightshade Vegetable? Jicama spuds are part of the nightshade family, a group of vegetables that contain alkaloids, which have an impact on nerve-muscle function, joint function and digestive function—accelerating an existing inflammatory condition.
Should you peel jicama?
What Is Jicama? Jicama, also known as a Mexican yam bean or Mexican turnip, is a sweet root vegetable. It's native to Central America and popular in many Asian countries as well. Its flesh is edible, but its skin is toxic, so you must peel the food before eating it.
Can jicama be cooked?
Though most often eaten raw, such as chopped into salads, jicama can be steamed, boiled, sautéed or fried. And so long as you don't overcook it, jicama retains its pleasantly crisp texture (think fresh apple) when cooked. The flavor is on the neutral side, with a hint of starchy sweetness.
Is jicama good for kidneys?
Jicama is a great choice for renal patients following a kidney diet because it is low in sodium, potassium and phosphorus. It's also a good source of dietary fiber.
How do you prepare jicama to eat?
0:070:51HOW TO Prepare Jicama - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipUse a vegetable peeler or a paring knife to remove the thin brown. Skin carefully peel it all offMoreUse a vegetable peeler or a paring knife to remove the thin brown. Skin carefully peel it all off before shredding your cutting.
Is jicama good for skin?
Besides skin whitening, the vitamin C content in jicama works as an antioxidant to fight free radicals and prevent cell damage. Moreover, antioxidant boosts collagen and elastin productions that keep the skin moist and elastic. Furthermore, vitamin C helps to decrease oxidative stress which plays a role in aging.
Is jicama good for kidneys?
Jicama is a great choice for renal patients following a kidney diet because it is low in sodium, potassium and phosphorus. It's also a good source of dietary fiber.
Does jicama raise blood sugar?
By helping to lower blood sugar spikes and improve insulin sensitivity, jicama also reduces your risk for cardiovascular disease. The fiber in jicama can help lower inflammation, reduce LDL cholesterol levels, and lower blood pressure. And its high level of nitrate can improve blood flow and circulation.
How toxic is jicama skin?
The jicama skin should be removed before eating as the skin can be toxic. The leaves and seeds also contain mild toxins. When cooked, jicama retains its crisp, water chestnut-like texture.
Buying, Cooking, and Recipes
Linnea Covington has been writing about food for over a decade. From farmers' markets to award-winning restaurants, if the eats prove good, she's there, often trailed by her two young boys.
What Is Jicama?
Jicama is a member of the bean family but its tuberous root is what is consumed and so it often is treated much like one of many root vegetables. Jicama is a crunchy root that's native to Mexico where the food also goes by the names yam bean, Mexican turnip, and Mexican potato.
How to Use Jicama
The most traditional way to eat this food is by peeling, slicing it into strips, and munching on it raw, usually with lemon or lime juice and chili powder. Street vendors in Mexico sell bags of this treat, which proves particularly satisfying on a hot day.
What Does Jicama Taste Like?
There's a slight sweet starchiness to the food, which adds a bit of heft to jicama, making it feel more filling, though it's still light enough to eat a whole root in one sitting. Jicama has a pleasant crunch and an almost nutty flavor, similar to a fresh water chestnut.
Jicama Recipes
Most of the time jicama is eaten raw, with or without a marinade, making it an easy addition to all sorts of dishes. Cut into small chunks or shred and try jicama out in slaws, chili, or salads.
Where to Buy Jicama
Even though jicama mainly makes an appearance in Latin American cuisines, you can find this food in the produce section of most grocery stores and in specialty markets all year long.
Storage
Keep jicama whole and unpeeled in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or for about a week on your counter as long as it's not in sunlight or the kitchen gets too hot. Once peeled, you can slice the vegetable and keep it in water in the refrigerator for a few days, but it's best to eat it fresh, soon after cutting.
What Is Jicama?
Native to Mexico and popular in Central American cuisine, jicama is a nutrient-dense root vegetable that starchy like a potato but comes from the bean family. It's available in most mainstream supermarkets–it's sometimes found near hot peppers and cactus paddles in the produce section.
How to Cook Jicama
Sometimes called the Mexican turnip or Mexican potato, raw jicama's white flesh is slightly sweet and crunchy similar to a water chestnut. Though some people like to use it when they're stir frying vegetables, jicama is typically eaten raw in slaws and fruit salad.
Jicama Nutrition
Jicama is high in important vitamins and minerals, Jimenez says. One cup packs 20 milligrams of vitamin C (more than 25 percent of what an adult woman needs in a day), which is essential for collagen production and linked to a reduced risk of certain cancers. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, Jimenez says.
How to Store Jicama
Store it on the counter before you cut it, and in the refrigerator, once it's cut. Whole, uncut jicama will stay fresh in a cool, dry place in your pantry for two to three weeks. That said, if you buy a jicama that was chilled at the grocery store, you'll need to store it in the fridge.
What kind of vegetable is it?
Jicama is a legume even though it may not look like a bean. It’s cultivated by its tuber roots. These roots supply fiber, vitamins, carbohydrates, and minerals into one’s diet. They resemble a potato, more so than a bean [ 2 ].
Are there different types?
There are two types of jicama. The most common one is called jicama de agua and is widely available at markets within North America. In contrast, jicama de leche is less common to find and eat.
What does it look like?
The vegetable itself is brown on the outside with a white interior. The plant can grow up to 20 feet in length, sprouting leaves and seed pods. The roots develop underground and are the only edible portion. The flowers on the plant are blue and white. The legumes or seed pods produce fruit and are removed for the tubers to grow.
Generally, where is it grown?
Since jicama can only grow in warmer climates, South America, Mexico, Hawaii, Puerto Rico are normally where they can be planted. It originated from the Aztecs and Mayans and is a Spanish vegetable native to Mexico and Central America [ 2 ].
How is it harvested?
Jicama is grown as a perennial vine and is annual due to the plant being killed during harvest. It’s planted into the soil and begins to grow like a pole bean. The vining occurs where white and blue flowers bloom, but the root itself is slow-growing and can take up to 6 months.
When is the season?
Due to the need of warm temperatures, summer is the best time for jicama to grow. It requires a lot of sun because it’s considered a tropical plant. The growing season is a long period and needs to be undisturbed the entirety of its time.
What does it taste like?
When eating jicama, most people compare it to an apple, such as a Honey crisp or red delicious. It’s crisp and juicy. But also, it’s somewhat watery and resembles a water chestnut at the same time. It’s sweet and starchy and has a smooth feeling to the mouth.
What is Jicama?
Jicama is a root vegetable with thick, brown skin. It's white inside and tastes like an apple but not as sweet. It’s a bit like a potato but with a lot fewer carbs.
Jicama's Health Benefits
Tater twin. People often compare jicama to potatoes because their flesh is similar. But jicama is much healthier and has far fewer carbohydrates.
Jicama Risks
Only the flesh of the root vegetable itself is safe to eat. Jicama’s skin, stem, leaves, and seeds are poisonous.
How to Eat Jicama
Most people eat jicama raw with salt, lemon or lime juice, and chili powder sprinkled on top. You can also:
How to Store Jicama
Keep whole, unpeeled jicama dry and unwrapped in a cool area for 2 to 3 weeks. Once you cut it, wrap up your jicama tightly and store it in the refrigerator for a week.
What Is Jicama?
Although some people mistake jicama for a fruit, it’s technically the root of a type of bean plant and a member of the legume plant family called Fabacea. It has the plant species name Pachyrhizus erosus.
Nutrition
According to the USDA, one-cup serving of sliced raw jicama (pronounced hee-cama) has about:
Benefits
Although it’s a root veggie, jicama is surprisingly low in starch, sugar and carbs compared to other vegetables like potatoes, turnips, beets and rutabaga. Where jicama really stands out is its standing as a high-fiber food — with about 25 percent of your daily dietary fiber needs in every one-cup serving.
How to Eat
How does jicama taste like? It’s slightly sweet, crunchy and mild, so it can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a crisper and lighter texture than most root veggies, since it’s higher in water and lower in starch. It looks much like a turnip but has a taste and feel closer to an apple.
How to Cook
Jicama is super versatile both in terms of preparation needed and what types of flavors it pairs well with. Keeping some pre-chopped, roasted or sliced jicama sticks on hand is even a smart way to replace some of the processed grains in your diet.
Recipes
Called a “Mexican turnip” or yambean in some parts of the world, jicama is used in many cuisines around the world, including in the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia.
What is jicama?
Jicama is a root vegetable that is native to Mexico and used throughout Latin American countries. The plant thrives in warm climates and grows on long vines close to the ground. However, the leaves and seeds are toxic, so only the root portion can be eaten.
What does jicama taste like?
The flavor of jicama is mild, lightly sweet, and slightly nutty. It’s tastes like a cross between an apple, a potato, a water chestnut, and a pear. Because it’s mild and starchy, it blends well with other flavors, especially in its raw form. It also easily takes on the flavor of whatever it’s cooked with.
Is jicama healthy?
This root vegetable has several health benefits that make it a great ingredient to cook with.
Ways to use it
First, you’ll want to remove the peel. This can be done with a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler. If the peel is thick enough, you may even be able to peel it off with your hands! Once it’s peeled, you can cut the flesh into strips or cubes, or you can shred it as you would cabbage. It can be eaten raw (like an apple), or cooked (like a potato).
Recipes made with jicama
It’s most often used raw, but you can cook it several different ways as well. Here are some ideas of ways to use it:
Where to find jicama
You should be able to find this vegetable year-round in the produce section of the grocery store. It can also be found in Mexican markets. Make sure to choose one that is firm with dry roots. It shouldn’t have any bruises, dents, or blemishes.
How to store it
In its peel, it will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator. It’s best to keep it in a sealed plastic bag. After the peel is removed, it needs to be used within 3 days or it will start to go bad. Store in an airtight container and cover the white flesh with water so it doesn’t dry out.
What is jicama?
Pronounced HEE-kah-ma, jicama is a root vegetable (more specifically, a tuber) that’s native to Mexico, says Freshly nutritionist Emily Navarro, RDN. It’s tough, bark-like skin gives way to a softer white flesh on the inside that’s surprisingly crisp and juicy.
Is jicama nutritious?
Jicama is full of a lot of fiber and water--and that’s a great thing. You can enjoy a cup (130g) of sliced jicama for just under 50 calories while getting 6.4g toward your daily fiber needs.
What are the health benefits of jicama?
It’s easy to write off jicama as a crunchy, low-calorie snack. And while it is perfect for that purpose, there’s so much more. The vitamin C content of jicama serves your body well during winter months, and its fiber content is a major bonus. Fiber does so much more than keep you full, although we love that benefit too.
Where can you buy jicama?
You can find jicama in the produce section of most well-stocked supermarkets and at specialty stores (especially Latin American markets). At some larger chains, you may even be able to find pre-chopped jicama that’s ready for easy snacking.
How do you eat jicama?
Jicama can be eaten raw and cooked, says Navarro. You can slice it into matchsticks for a cool, crunchy snack, or dice it up to throw into salsas and salads. It’s important that you peel jicama before serving, though, as the skin is inedible.
How can you use jicama to make healthy meals?
One of Navarro’s favorite ways is to turn it into fries or chips. For jicama fries: cut jicama into ¼” strips, toss with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper (plus any other spices you love like chili powder), bake at 400 degrees F for 1 hour, flipping after 30 minutes.
What is jicama?
Originally from Mexico, Food Print explains that the Spanish brought jicamas to the Philippines in the 16th century, where they soon ended up in Indonesia, China, and West Africa. The source indicates that the vegetable was mentioned in Mayan manuscripts and was praised by the Aztecs, who named it xicama in the Nahuatl language.
Fresh jicama vs. cooked jicama
Unlike many roots, jicama is delicious eaten raw, although it is versatile and can also be cooked for a different texture and profile. Fresh jicama is often sold by street vendors as a crunchy snack, paired with lime or lemon juice and powdered chili.
What does jicama taste like?
Jicama is so versatile partly because it doesn't have an intense flavor profile. It is mildly nutty with a touch of sweetness, though the larger ones will have less flavor and won't be as sweet. Since the water content is so high, it is especially refreshing, altering the sensorial components of a dish along with its crunchy texture.
How to cook with jicama
A great quality about jicama is that it can be baked, boiled, steamed, fried, sautéed, eaten raw, you name it. In all cases, first things first, it is important to remove the skin since it contains rotenone, a toxic compound. A sharp peeler or knife should do the trick, though larger jicamas might have a thin layer under the skin to remove as well.
Where to buy jicama
Thankfully, as more consumers are willing to experiment with food that isn't always familiar, jicamas can be found year-round in most supermarkets in the produce aisle. Depending on where you live, you may have a better chance finding them from October to May, at their peak, explains Food Reference.
Nutritional information about jicama
As with most food from the earth, jicama has its fair share of health benefits. Nutritionally, it is highest in carbohydrates, however, 1 cup also contains 6 grams of fiber, according to Healthline. The source explains that jicama contains a significant quantity of inulin, which is a prebiotic fiber that contributes to lively gut bacteria.
Other varieties of jicama
Britannica reports that commercially, there are two varieties of jicama: jicama de agua and jicama de leche. Translated from Spanish, the former means water jicama and the latter, milk jicama. The name is indeed a description of the juice content within.
