Let me show you how to cut jicama with this easy tutorial with step-by-step pictures and video. You may just find it’s a great addition to your favorite recipes.
What is jicama?
Jicama, pronounced hick-a-ma, is an oval-shaped tuber from the legume family. Also known as a Mexican turnip or yam bean, jicama, though native to Mexico, is now grown around the world. It has a papery brown skin with a slightly yellow tint on the outside and the inside is white and juicy much like a raw potato. It tastes like a cross between a pear and a potato, a little bit sweet, but hearty.
Jicama is one of my favorite vegetables! Not a lot of people know that it has been part of Mexican cuisine since before the conquest, known as xicamatl in Nahuatl. It is still eaten in Mexico today, in salads, fruit cups with lime and chile, or sold on street carts as a jicaleta (jicama coated with chamoy and chile powder and served on a stick).
Jicama Nutrition
Jicama is also a good source of prebiotic fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin A, and is low in carbohydrates. For the full low down on all the nutritional benefits, I recommend this article from the Cleveland Clinic.
Buying and Selecting
Your local grocery store should carry jicama, but if you can’t find it you may need to make a trip to your local Mexican market. In the grocery store it is usually in the tropical fruit section. To select a jicama at the store, make sure the skin is not shriveled or wrinkled, it is firm to the touch, and the skin is dry.
Cooking Jicama
Jicama is a versatile root vegetable. The most common way of eating it is raw, typically in salads or as a healthy snack, but it can also be cooked. You can cook it the same way you would a potato, you can make jicama chips, jicama fries, or add it to soups and stews. Jicama can also be added to salsa, served pickled, or just eaten sliced and covered with lime juice, chile powder, and salt.
Storing
Store unpeeled jicama on the kitchen counter for 2-3 weeks. Once you peel the jicama it is best to place it in an airtight container and cover it with water, this will keep it from drying out. It can stay in the fridge for up to a week, but change the water daily.
FAQs
Jicama, native to Mexico and Central America, was consumed by the Mexicas and Mayans, as recorded in the Chilam Balam, a Mayan manuscript from the 17th and 18th centuries, describing it as a crisp and juicy vegetable. Following the conquest, the Spanish introduced it to the Philippines, from where it rapidly spread throughout Asia.
Yes, there are two types of jicama: jicama de agua, characterized by its round shape and clear juice, boasting a high water content and renowned for its crisp texture, commonly stocked in grocery stores; and jicama de leche, also known as sweet jicama, which is more elongated, features a milky white juice, offers a sweet taste, and has a soft, creamy consistency.
How to Cut Jicama
Let me show you how to cut jicama with this easy tutorial with step-by-step pictures and video. You may just find it is a great addition to your favorite recipes.
Pin Recipe
Print Recipe
Servings: 4
Calories: 63kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
-
Rinse the whole vegetable in cool water before cutting it to remove debris or dirt.
-
Lay the jicama on its side on a cutting board. Cut the top and bottom of the jicama.
-
Gently peel the skin off with a vegetable peeler.
-
Once the peeler snags the skin, sometimes you can pull it off with your hands.
-
If the skin is too tough use a sharp knife to slide under the skin, from top to bottom, and cut it off.
-
Make sure to cut off all of the skin.
-
You can cut it into slices.
-
Cut those slices vertically into batons.
-
Or cut into cubes by cutting the batons into squares.
-
You can also shred it on a box grater for salads.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 247mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
Reader Interactions
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.