Vegetable
Pachyrhizus erosus
S tier
Pachyrhizus erosus is jicama (Mexican yam bean)—a legume storing a crisp, juicy, mildly sweet tuber under tan bark-like skin. Raw crunch rivals water chestnut; flavour is apple-fresh with bean neutrality. Only the tuber is eaten; seeds and mature pods can be toxic. Peel thickly, stick raw with chili-lime, or stir-fry briefly to keep snap. Species covers common market jicama. Keep cool; drying toughens flesh.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Brief Stir FryChili Lime SticksCruditeRaw SaladSlaw
Traits
CrispCrisp Juicy TuberJuicyLegume RootMild SweetSpecies PrimarySpecies UmbrellaToxic Seeds
History
MX
Mesoamerican cultures cultivated P. erosus for its crisp edible root.
Spanish trade spread jicama to the Philippines and beyond.
US
US produce aisles adopted jicama for Mexican and fusion cooking.
Chili-lime jicama sticks became a standard healthy snack pattern.