Read 56 times since Friday, September 02, 2011
Most people have never tried to eat a jicama or even know what one is. It is pronounced like "hick-a-ma" The J makes an H sound. Many grocery stores carry them.
It is a big root vegetable considered to be in the legume family. It can range in size from the size of a fist to the size of a cantaloupe.
The taste is crisp, juicy and sweet and almost like an apple. There is a brown thin skin that you can gently peel off. You will need a knife or a peeler.
If you grab a piece of the skin, cut from the top, you can pull and it will come off clear to the end. Once you get all the skin off, you will see a bulky white mass that you can chop into a variety of ways as you would a potato.
Jicama makes a great veggie tray addition. It tends to maintain its white color and is flavorful and delicious. You can make little sticks or cubes.
Children love jicama pieces once they are exposed to what it is. They will probably be afraid to try something new unless they see their siblings or parents try some of it first. Then, they will get brave and try a piece and most generally like it, since it has such a pleasant flavor and juicy crunch.
You can also add it to salads or cut it into flat, chip-like pieces for dipping into some sauce. It is a common practice among many people to sprinkle some chili powder lightly on the jicama pieces.
The chili powder makes a decorative contrast and interesting flavor combination. But, basically, all you need to do is just cut the big hunk up into little bite size pieces that are easy to pick up.
Cut-up jicama pieces will surprise your guests at a party and make things more interesting. Everyone will be asking what they are. And, you can be creative in the way you choose to cut them up.
They store well for a few days and are not like potatoes or apples that start to turn brown. If you ever need a white garnish that stays white, jicama is a good choice.
You can enjoy them like a snack or as part of a meal. Some people like to cook them, but that is a little strange to try. It can be good and edible, it's just not something you normally have in a cooked dish.
You will probably want to just have some jicama pieces raw, because they are so high in vitamin C and have special enzymes to improve your energy. Heating them will destroy the vitamin C content and make them lose their fun, juicy crunch.
The next time that you go to the produce section of your grocery store, look for a jicama. You will probably have an easier time finding one if you go to a place that tends to have a bigger selection since jicama is not that common. Destry Masterson is a health and nutrition expert. She publishes articles for http://www.foodstoragereviews.com and recommends them for food storage.
Contact Info:
Destry Masterson - MyOnlineArticleWriting@gmail.com - Twitter: @DestryMasterson
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