7,617
edits
Changes
From Gardenology.org - Plant Encyclopedia and Gardening Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to searchno edit summary
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Pachyrhizus erosus''
| image = Jicama CDC.jpg
| image_width = 160px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Fabales]]
| familia = [[Fabaceae]]
| subfamilia = [[Faboideae]]
| genus = ''[[Pachyrhizus]]''
| species = '''''P. erosus'''''
| binomial = ''Pachyrhizus erosus''
| binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]) [[Ignatz Urban|Urb.]]
}}
The '''jícama''' (pronounced "hee-kuh-muh"; from Spanish, derived from [[Nahuatl]] ''xicamatl''), also known as the '''Mexican Potato''' or '''Mexican Turnip''', is the name of a [[vine]] native to Mexico and Central America, although the name is most commonly used to refer only to the edible tuberous root of the plant. The jicama is one species in a genus (''[[Pachyrhizus]]'') which is commonly referred to as [[yam bean]]s, although the name "yam bean" is sometimes used as another name for the jicama specifically. The other major species of yam beans are indigenous to other parts of the Americas.
The jicama vine can reach a height of 4-5 [[metre]]s given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths of up to 2m and weigh up to 20 [[kilogram]]s. The root's exterior is [[yellow]] and [[paper]]y, while its inside is [[cream (colour)|cream]]y [[white]] with a crisp texture that resembles that of a raw [[potato]] or [[pear]]. The flavour is sweet and starchy, reminiscent of some [[apple]]s. It is usually eaten raw, sometimes with [[salt]], [[lemon]] or [[lime (fruit)|lime]] juice and powdered [[chili pepper|chili]]. It is also cooked in [[soup]]s and [[stir-frying|stir-fried]] dishes. Cultivation of the jícama has recently spread from the Americas to [[China]] and [[Southeast Asia]] where notable uses of raw jícama include [[popiah]] and [[salad]]s such as [[yusheng]] and [[rojak]].
In contrast to the root, the remainder of the jícama plant is very [[poison]]ous; the seeds contain the toxin [[rotenone]], which is used to poison [[insect]]s and [[fish]].
The jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fibre. 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°[[Celsius|C]] and 16°C (53°[[Fahrenheit|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.
==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
[[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]]
[[Category:Faboideae]]
[[Category:Root vegetables]]
[[Category:Tropical agriculture]]
[[Category:Underutilized crops]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Pachyrhizus erosus''
| image = Jicama CDC.jpg
| image_width = 160px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Fabales]]
| familia = [[Fabaceae]]
| subfamilia = [[Faboideae]]
| genus = ''[[Pachyrhizus]]''
| species = '''''P. erosus'''''
| binomial = ''Pachyrhizus erosus''
| binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]) [[Ignatz Urban|Urb.]]
}}
The '''jícama''' (pronounced "hee-kuh-muh"; from Spanish, derived from [[Nahuatl]] ''xicamatl''), also known as the '''Mexican Potato''' or '''Mexican Turnip''', is the name of a [[vine]] native to Mexico and Central America, although the name is most commonly used to refer only to the edible tuberous root of the plant. The jicama is one species in a genus (''[[Pachyrhizus]]'') which is commonly referred to as [[yam bean]]s, although the name "yam bean" is sometimes used as another name for the jicama specifically. The other major species of yam beans are indigenous to other parts of the Americas.
The jicama vine can reach a height of 4-5 [[metre]]s given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths of up to 2m and weigh up to 20 [[kilogram]]s. The root's exterior is [[yellow]] and [[paper]]y, while its inside is [[cream (colour)|cream]]y [[white]] with a crisp texture that resembles that of a raw [[potato]] or [[pear]]. The flavour is sweet and starchy, reminiscent of some [[apple]]s. It is usually eaten raw, sometimes with [[salt]], [[lemon]] or [[lime (fruit)|lime]] juice and powdered [[chili pepper|chili]]. It is also cooked in [[soup]]s and [[stir-frying|stir-fried]] dishes. Cultivation of the jícama has recently spread from the Americas to [[China]] and [[Southeast Asia]] where notable uses of raw jícama include [[popiah]] and [[salad]]s such as [[yusheng]] and [[rojak]].
In contrast to the root, the remainder of the jícama plant is very [[poison]]ous; the seeds contain the toxin [[rotenone]], which is used to poison [[insect]]s and [[fish]].
The jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fibre. 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°[[Celsius|C]] and 16°C (53°[[Fahrenheit|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.
==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
[[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]]
[[Category:Faboideae]]
[[Category:Root vegetables]]
[[Category:Tropical agriculture]]
[[Category:Underutilized crops]]
