Herb
Tropaeolum tuberosum
B tier
Tropaeolum tuberosum is mashua—the Andean tuber nasturtium grown for knobbly edible roots more than flowers, though blooms and leaves are also used. Tubers taste peppery-mustard when raw and sweeter, chestnut-like when cooked long. Treat as a root vegetable with nasturtium family heat. Boil, roast, or freeze to mellow intensity; traditional Andean preparations pair it with other tubers.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Boiled TuberFreeze Then CookRoastTraditional Andean
Traits
AndeanAndean TuberCool Climate CropDual Leaf FlowerPepperyPeppery RootTuberous
History
PE
Andean farmers domesticated mashua as a highland tuber crop.
PE
Colonial records noted Tropaeolum tuberosum in indigenous agriculture.
European botanic gardens collected mashua as a curiosity tuber.
Specialty and Andean-food revival markets reintroduced mashua tubers abroad.