Jícama Candy with Lime and Chilli

History & Origin

Jícama (Pachyrhizus erosus) is a root vegetable native to Mexico and Central America, cultivated since pre-Hispanic times. The Aztecs called it "xicamatl" and consumed it raw, cooked and as a sweet. It was one of the foods transported by pochteca (Aztec merchants) along their Mesoamerican trade networks. The tradition of preparing jícama as a sweet has centuries of history in central Mexico. The combination of raw jícama with chilli and lime is one of the most popular street snacks in the country. The syrup version represents the evolution of that tradition into a preserved sweet, where jícama is briefly cooked in a sweet-sour syrup that preserves its crunchy texture. In Oaxaca, jícama in syrup is prepared with mezcal and pasilla chilli. In Puebla, vanilla and cinnamon are added. In Jalisco, tamarind syrup is favoured. Each region adapts the sweet to its local ingredients. Today jícama is consumed worldwide, especially in Asia where it was taken by the Manila galleons in the 16th century. But its preparation as a spicy sweet remains a Mexican culinary treasure, a symbol of the country's ability to turn something simple into something extraordinary with just lime, chilli and sugar.