# About Jicama **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406 "2020-07-26T19:03:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/1 "2020-07-26T19:03:08Z")
If you’re not familiar, it is a Central American (originally far as I can tell) tuber that is the only edible part of a vine(after you peel first, skin is toxic). It is a bounty of fiber, low calories, anti oxidants and vitamin c and one of the b vitamins and moisture. Its taste is supposed to be a lightly sweet cross between potato and either apple or pear and is so mild (my opinion here) that it’s almost offensive. It can be cooked or eaten raw. So my question is this, I bought one(my second time with this vegetable) and peeled and ate some of it today and the sweet wasn’t there. The offensively mild potato flavor was, just no apple/pear. Should I have selected a smaller one, not waited a week before eating it? What happened to my jicama? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/2 "2020-07-26T21:10:06Z")
It’s generally used for texture rather than flavor. Slice it up and put it in a salad for an extra crunch. The one recipe I know that uses it as the main ingredient: Slice it up into french fry - sized pieces. Put it in a bowl with lime juice and herbs (I think either basil or cilantro. Not certain. I’m not the cook in the family.) Let it soak in the refrigerator overnight. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/3 "2020-07-26T21:15:41Z")
I have found jicama to be closer to potato than apple/pear. Nice crunch but pretty tasteless. Maybe you got lucky on your first one. I guess some of them might be sweeter than others, just the way some apples, cherries, peaches, etc., are sweeter than others. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/4 "2020-07-26T21:17:13Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Slice it up and put it in a salad for an extra crunch. That. Batons for crunch, though I mandoline slices of it for looks in salads. I haven’t noticed the apple or pear, though I’ll pay more attention next time. I had no idea the peels were toxic, thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/5 "2020-07-26T21:30:26Z")
Jicama pretty much falls into the “why bother?” basket of vegetables for me. If I want crunch with flavor in a salad, I can use carrots, breakfast radishes, celery, diced peppers, shredded celeriac, sliced apples or pears, bacon, seeds and/or nuts. All have a whole lot more flavor and texture than jicama. I’ll eat it if someone puts it on a salad, but IMHO, it’s nothing to bark about. I’ve never had one that was particularly sweet or tasty. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/6 "2020-07-26T21:31:55Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > Its taste is supposed to be a lightly sweet cross between potato As ThelmaLou notes it is a cross where 89% is potato. The sweetness is barely perceptible and generally only a contrast between jicama and maybe a raw potato itself 🙂. Or air. They have a nice crunch and can be marinated in a variety of things (chili and lime juice is a standard), but after multiple attempts I’ve kind of just shrugged and abandoned them. They’re aggressively bland and the textural note generally isn’t worth it from my POV. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/7 "2020-07-26T22:57:15Z")
The one time I had it, it was indistinguishable in both appearance and flavor from styrofoam. It was fine with enough dip on it, but then, that’s true of anything. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/8 "2020-07-27T04:13:30Z")
I’m wondering if someone didn’t give the OP an Asian pear the first time and tell him it was jicama (only half joking) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/9 "2020-07-27T04:27:16Z")
By coincidence, I had some jicama earlier today. It was chopped up in a salad with asparagus, peppers, and corn. > [@needscoffee](#): > > I’m wondering if someone didn’t give the OP an Asian pear the first time and tell him it was jicama (only half joking) Or a dragonfruit. [They look amazing](https://www.herbazest.com/imgs/e/f/c/724642/dragonfruit.jpg). But then you put a slice in your mouth and realize they’re practically flavorless. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/10 "2020-07-27T04:37:11Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Or a dragonfruit. [They look amazing](https://www.herbazest.com/imgs/e/f/c/724642/dragonfruit.jpg). But then you put a slice in your mouth and realize they’re practically flavorless. Oh, thanks for that. I’ve been meaning to try one, but waiting until they were less than $6 ea out here. I was imagining they’d taste similar to starfruit or lychee. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/11 "2020-07-27T04:43:46Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Oh, thanks for that. I’ve been meaning to try one, but waiting until they were less than $6 ea out here. I was imagining they’d taste similar to starfruit or lychee. Try some jackfruit it you get a chance. It’s sort of like chewy pineapple. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/12 "2020-07-27T05:16:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > Oh, thanks for that. I’ve been meaning to try one, but waiting until they were less than $6 ea out here. I was imagining they’d taste similar to starfruit or lychee. > > Try some jackfruit it you get a chance. It’s sort of like chewy pineapple I will. I’ve only had the canned stuff. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/13 "2020-07-27T06:18:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > By coincidence, I had some jicama earlier today. It was chopped up in a salad with asparagus, peppers, and corn. > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > I’m wondering if someone didn’t give the OP an Asian pear the first time and tell him it was jicama (only half joking) > > Or a dragonfruit. [They look amazing](https://www.herbazest.com/imgs/e/f/c/724642/dragonfruit.jpg). But then you put a slice in your mouth and realize they’re practically flavorless. Dragon fruit, in my experience, are _entirely_ flavorless. Maybe a bit sweet, but at least jicama has potato flavor going for it(mildly speaking) ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/14 "2020-07-27T08:14:41Z")
Well, dragonfruit t is a cactus fruit. Tasteless is pretty much the description of them. Prickly pear is popular in drinks here, but really only for the pretty color. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/15 "2020-07-27T13:16:30Z")
Prickly pears come in a variety of flavors – I’ve never noticed them being tasteless at all. I use xoconostles (which are quite tart and assertive) as a substitute for rhubarb in strawberry-rhubarb concoctions. Others have sweeter flavors, some strawberry-like, some tropical fruit, some are quite juicy, others are a bit on the drier side, etc. Jicama, meanwhile, pretty bland, but fun for crunch. I don’t use it that much. I don’t really get the potato flavor from it; it kind of looks like a potato, and has the crunch of a firm apple, but the flavor is just … more like a water chestnut to me. And it essentially fulfills the same function as a water chestnut. At least with its unassuming look, it doesn’t really inspire hopes of explosive flavor, unlike the dragonfruit, which appears to be a practical joke by nature. How can something so wild looking and so visually enticing just taste like absolutely nothing? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/16 "2020-07-27T13:20:33Z")
If you shop at Trader Joe’s regularly, they usually have cut-up jicama in a little tub in the produce aisle, near the other cut-up produce. I bought it a couple of times, and it’s kind of mild and crunchy. Good for snacking. (For the same purpose, I’ve been on a kohlrabi kick lately. I’ll buy some, peel one at home and take them to work, to snack on after lunch.) ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/17 "2020-07-27T13:43:04Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Try some jackfruit it you get a chance. It’s sort of like chewy pineapple The whole fruits are both very large and will fill the entire room with their scent. It’s a bit like Juicy Fruit brand gum. Delicious, if a bit slimy to clean. I’m trying a recipe today for boiling the seeds. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/18 "2020-07-27T16:30:40Z")
I’ve had some taste variety in Jicama, and on occasion, yes, there was a faint sweetness. I have yet to find any visible way of determining ahead of purchase if it will be vaguely sweet, or just the normal blandness. I agree that as is, it doesn’t fulfill any role as a food that can’t be found in better options as a raw ingredient though. My main use is in southwestern based soups, such as a tortilla soup, roasted red pepper and lime soup, or pozole. Since the flavor is coming from the soup, the mildness of the jicama is a non issue, and unlike a potato, it adds some good fiber without the risks of falling apart (I tend to make a large batch and have over several days, because otherwise it just isn’t worth the effort). ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-jicama/916406/19 "2020-07-29T01:44:29Z")
I bought a luridly maroon? red doesn’t really describe it, pricky pear fruit once. WOWEEE Man! Talk about sweet! I like jicama for snacking while preparing dinner. Keeps me from over eating and is a decent health snack (ghod, anyone remember when rice coasteeeerrrs I mean patties were the thing?)