Jicama: A versatile root makes a good salad

I remember jicama roots in the Latin and Caribbean groceries from when I was a kid, but they didn't start showing up in chain stores until maybe a dozen years ago. It's available from fall through the late spring.

And then people didn't know what to make of this strange globular root with a kraft paper colored skin and crispy, starchy interior.

"That's a funny looking potato," my husband said the first time he saw one. "I'll have it baked with butter and sour cream." "Actually," I countered. "it goes in your salad." He crinkled his nose. He doesn't share my sense of food adventure. He prefers to get his adventure on ziplines and climbing up the mast of a sailboat.

Jicama is the root of a plant that grows a bean that is toxic. The root, however, is nutritious. It's full of Vitamin C, but there's good amounts of folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and manganese. It's low in calories and high in fiber and water.

Jicama contains several antioxidants which help prevent cell damage, which can help prevent diseases, including cancer. The dietary fiber in the root helps improve digestion. 

The best thing about this root is its versatility. It can be put into a salad (my favorite way), it can be used in a fruit salad, it can be used as a "chip" with guacamole or hummus, it can be stir fried and it can be just cut into strips and eaten as a crunchy snack. What new ways can you think of to eat it?

Jicama Salad

Makes 4 generous servings

• 1/2 large jicama
• 4 small bell peppers (or one large one)
• 1/2 cup of chopped red onion
• 1/2 of a large cucumber, seeded and chopped (peeled, if you like them that way)
• 1 navel orange, peeled and slices cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup of chopped, fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup of lime juice
• Pinch of cayenne
• Pinch of paprika
• Salt, to taste

1. Toss together the jicama, the bell peppers, the red onions, the cucumber, the orange and the cilantro in a large serving bowl. Mix well.
2. Pour the lime juice over everything in the bowl. Sprinkle with the paprika and the cayenne. Season it generously with salt.
3. Let it sit for at least half an hour before serving.

Get everything together

Chop the jicama thin when you're eating it raw

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