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Jicama

A healthy, crunchy treat that perks up snacks and meals while expanding your produce-aisle options.

By Cary Neff

November 2007

Food Basics
Nutritional Know-How
Kitchen Tricks
Eat Up!

Jicama (pronounced “HIK-uh-mah”) is a bulbous root vegetable with a mild, sweet taste. In Mexico, street vendors season it with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkling of salt and hot chili powder for a delicious, nutritious snack. But jicama is a versatile ingredient in any kitchen. Plus, it packs a powerful nutritional punch.

Food Basics

Jicama is a member of the legume family. Indigenous to Mexico and Central and South America, it has a thin, strong skin and crisp, juicy flesh. While its flavor is more similar to an apple or pear than to any vegetable, its texture is more like a radish (it’s nearly 90 percent water). Jicama ranges in size from 4 ounces to as much as 6 pounds, but tastes the same whether large or small. Choose jicama that has a slightly silky sheen. Blemishes, wrinkled skin, or bluish-green soft or dark spots indicate old, over-ripened jicama, which tends to be dry, stringy and starchy.

Nutritional Know-How

A good source of vitamin C, jicama also contains potassium, iron and calcium — nutrients that help boost the immune system, aid muscle contraction and nerve transmission, help deliver oxygen to the tissues, and promote bone strength and density. It is also high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber. Its sweet flavor and low sugar content make it a satisfying, healthy snack food for everyone, including diabetics or anyone concerned with sugar intake.

Kitchen Tricks

• Store whole, unwrapped jicama in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Wrap cut jicama with plastic and refrigerate it for up to one week.
  
• Always peel jicama by using a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler. The fresher the vegetable, the easier it will peel.
  
• If you find the taste of jicama slightly starchy or floury, boil it for a minute or two. This process will eliminate any off-putting taste without destroying the nutrient content.

Eat Up! (Back to Top)

Jicama is most commonly enjoyed in its raw form, and it can also be cut into cubes, sticks or rounds. Or it can be shredded in salads, snacks, salsas, hors d’oeuvres and even desserts. Because of jicama’s unique crispness, it’s even more spectacular when cooked. It absorbs sauces without softening, making it an excellent addition to stir-fried vegetables.

• To boost flavor and crispiness of stir-fry meals and salads or slaws, substitute jicama in recipes calling for water chestnuts and daikon.
  
• To boil: Peel and chop jicama. Place in a pan of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until softened. Drain boiled jicama, and then mash with a little butter, salt and pepper.
  
• To bake: Puncture the skin with a fork and bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes, or until softened. Cut the baked jicama in half, and top with a little sour cream or butter. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, chili powder or chopped chives. Eat the flesh, but not the tough, fibrous skin.
  
• Mix shredded or finely diced jicama with pineapple and avocado to make a flavorful, richly textured salsa.
  
• Combine jicama with fresh berries and other fruits to make a fruit salad with a wide variety of textures and a splash of bold white color.
  
• Include jicama sticks with carrots, celery and other raw veggies on vegetable trays.

Chef Cary Neff is the president of the consulting firm Culinary Innovations and the author of The New York Times bestseller Conscious Cuisine (Sourcebooks, 2002).