Jicama
susie
Member Posts: 7,687 ✭✭✭✭
So, I live in a county that has only 17,000 people. As you can imagine the local grocery store doesn't carry exotic food or anything close to exotic. I'm lucky to get goat cheese. I have to drive 40 minutes just to get the milk I drink.
I signed up for Misfits Market because when I perused the site I saw that there was an opportunity to try various types of produce not available here. I have now tried celery root and sunchokes. I enjoyed them pan roasted with potatoes and zucchini. I have lived around the world and never had either of these. lol.
The last order I placed, jicama was a choice and I placed it in my order. I had read the description that said some would describe them as a mash up of potatoes and pears. They lied. As I prepped them I noticed a soapy smell. I pushed through and put them in the oven to roast much as I would a potato. They taste like soap. The first bite I took I had to spit out. Couldn't go any further. Has anyone else had better luck with cooking them or am I stuck with a handful of dish detergent that looks like a tuber?
Comments
We did it for a month or so. I mean she did it for a month or so.
Fry 'em up in bacon grease! Almost anything is edible when fried in enough bacon grease!
sounds like some soap got on them,,,just sayin
@montanajoe I skinned the darn things first. They tasted like soap through and through. Has anyone actually ate or cooked the darn things?
I don’t eat anything I can’t pronounce.
Well I never heard of 'em, but we are out at our own little end of the world here.
We have eaten a fair amount of jicama over the years but have never tried it cooked.
We have always just sliced it and eaten it like a radish or carrot on a vegetable tray. Always found them refreshing.
I've eaten it many times, but only raw, and enjoyed it. I would compare it to a hard apple. No soapy flavor.
I'd say a soapy taste means it was spoiling but that is not addressed in the article.
My wife has had some & said it had a kind of nutty flavor.
I get jicama here all the time, all the local stores carry it.
Yes I peel it then slice it into sticks and chill it for a little while. It has a crunchy texture but moist. Usually I eat it as is, chilled or I use it in a salad. I like it both ways. Jicama in a cold salad is excellent during the warmer months.
I have never cooked it and it has never tasted like soap or nutty.
Best.
ADDED:
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.
The jicama plant grows mostly in Mexico and Central America on a long vine. But the part you eat is the root.
On the outside, the jicama looks like a light brown beet. Inside, it looks and feels like a raw potato. But it doesn't taste like one. It's crisp and slightly sweet, like an apple. But jicama doesn't brown like an apple after you cut it.
These bad boys can grow up to 50 pounds! But don't worry about heaving one into your car at the farmer's market. The small ones are the best to eat.
Jicama is pronounced HEE-kuh-muh or HIH-kuh-muh, and goes by many other names, including:
● Chinese potato
● Mexican potato
● Mexican yam
● Mexican yam bean
● Mexican water chestnut
● Mexican turnip
● Leafcup
Jicama Nutrition
One medium-sized jicama has:
● 250 calories
● 32 grams of fiber
● 12 grams of sugar
● 4 grams of protein
● 15%-19% of your daily recommended vitamin C
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.
Fun way to get fiber. Instead of an apple, peel and slice a jicama and dip it in a nut butter. It's a fiber-packed snack that prevents constipation, lowers cholesterol, and lowers your chances of getting colon cancer and heart disease.
Vitamin C. This vitamin gives a big boost to the immune system -- your body's defense against germs. It's also good for your eyes and skin. And it lessens inflammation in your body, which can cause arthritis and other diseases.
Vitamin B-6. Jicama has this key vitamin, which supports your brain and nerves, forms red blood cells, and turns protein into energy.
Antioxidants. Jicama has several of these compounds, which help prevent cell damage. Getting enough antioxidants from food has been linked with lower risk of cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, and cognitive decline.
Boosts heart health. Jicama has dietary fiber, which may lower cholesterol levels.
Prebiotic. Jicama is rich in a type of prebiotic fiber that helps restore the good bacteria in your gut.
Helps with hydration. Jicama is 85% water. Use it to help you stay hydrated, especially when it's hot outside.
Safe for blood sugar. If you're watching your blood sugar and insulin, jicama is a safe snack. It has carbs, but they have a low glycemic load, which means the carbs don't affect your blood sugar very much.
Jicama Risks
Only the flesh of the root vegetable itself is safe to eat. Jicama’s skin, stem, leaves, and seeds are poisonous.
Best.
My mom used to slice it and put it in salads raw. I remember it being similar to a sweet radish type of veggie. Never had it cooked.
Thanks guys. Maybe there was a bad one in the bunch. I will try a different batch and see what happens.
Susie, We didn't live all over the world like you, but lived in a suburb that became, "international." The good side was that we could get any kind of groceries & eat any of the world's cusines. Now we are in a rural area & jones for authentic foods.
Sliced into sticks as other have said above. Never any soapy taste. Texture of a radish, without the ‘bite’. If yours don’t snap when you bend a stick too far, similar to a carrot stick, they are probably bad.
There is an enzyme some people lack which causes cilantro to taste bad when we eat it, some people have described it as having a soapy taste. I lack the enzyme so cilantro tastes bad to me though not soapy. If you try it again and get the same results maybe it's a similar thing.
+1...
Combat Vet VN
D.A.V Life Member
I juice the "hick eh maw". I do eat some raw while prepping for the juicer. Just add salt, much like a Kohlrabi but a little sweeter.
I was going to mention the cilantro=soap issue but bundy already did.
I get the soapy taste from cilantro but not from jicama. It does, however, give me jicamups. LOL!
(I never heard of anybody cooking it, to be honest.)
Well, I feel like an idiot. Did I mention I had never seen jicama let alone tasted it? Wellllll, I don't remember ordering ginger, but apparently I did and then tried to roast it!!
I have learned to double check my order. Jicama was on the list, but apparently they were sold out and so I received a very large order of ginger. BTW, I have always just bought ginger in a spice jar and never fresh. So, I've learned two things today.
Fresh ginger!! Time to make some egg rolls! 😛
Never tried jicama but do like Kohl Rabi. Fresh, raw slices dipped in veggie dip....YUM!
Fresh ginger is a marvelous addition to some dishes. Peel it then grate it fine and let it cook into the dish or sauce.
Best.
We eat them sliced very thin or julienne style in salads (nice crunch) but have never tasted one that tasted like soap.
The taste is actually pretty neutral.
BTW pronounced Hick a ma