Jicama: what it is, taste, benefits and how to eat it

What is it?

The jicama is one of the most refreshing and best-loved tubers of Mexican cooking: a tuberous root of spherical or flattened shape, fifteen to thirty centimetres across, with thin light-brown skin and white, crunchy, juicy and slightly sweet inner pulp, with a neutral flavour reminiscent of a cross between apple, Asian pear and water. Unlike many tubers, the jicama is consumed mainly raw, peeled and cut into slices, sticks or cubes, sprinkled with salt, chilli powder (tajín) and a squeeze of lime, as one of the most popular street snacks in Mexico, sold from carts, in markets and at school stalls. It is also added raw to salads, ceviches and aguas frescas. Cooked, its texture changes but keeps its crunch, which has made it a popular ingredient in Asian stir-fries and contemporary stews. Its high water and dietary-fibre content makes it a very hydrating and low-calorie food.

Origin and history

The jicama is native to Mesoamerica, particularly Mexico and Central America, where its cultivation is documented from pre-Hispanic times. The name jicama comes from the Nahuatl xicamatl, the word the Nahua used for this root. Francisco Hernández in his Natural History of New Spain and Sahagún in the Florentine Codex, both of the 16th century, record the jicama among the foods cultivated by the Mexica. After the Conquest, the Spanish took the jicama to the Philippines in the late 16th century via the Manila Galleon, from where it spread across Asia, particularly China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, where it is now widely grown and known by various regional names. During the 20th and 21st centuries, the jicama has also become popular in the United States, Canada and Europe as a fashionable vegetable in healthy and raw-vegan cooking. In Mexico, the main producing regions are Nayarit, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Guerrero and Morelos, with the region of Tlaltizapán (Morelos) and Santiago Ixcuintla (Nayarit) considered the main producing centres. CONABIO documents Pachyrhizus erosus as a native Mexican species of great agronomic value, while SADER highlights its export and nutritional potential.

Characteristic ingredients

The jicama is Pachyrhizus erosus, a climbing legume of the family Fabaceae whose tuberous root is harvested as a vegetable. It is important to note that only the root is edible: the seeds, leaves, flowers and pods contain rotenone, a toxic compound traditionally used as a natural insecticide. The root grows underground and is harvested when it reaches the right size, generally between six and eight months after sowing. It keeps well at room temperature or refrigerated for several weeks. To prepare, it is peeled by removing the thin skin with a knife, exposing the crystalline white pulp; it is cut into sticks, slices, cubes or julienne according to use. The flavour is mild, sweet and very refreshing, with a crunchy, juicy texture similar to apple. It contains approximately 90% water, soluble dietary fibre (especially inulin, a prebiotic beneficial for the gut microbiota), vitamin C, potassium and very few calories (barely 35 kcal/100g), which makes it an ideal food for low-calorie diets. The main culinary uses are: sticks with lime, salt and chilli as a snack; in mixed raw salads; in jicama pico de gallo (with pineapple, cucumber, mango and chilli); in ceviches; in aguas frescas; in fruit cocktails. Cooked, it can be added to soups, stews and stir-fries, where it keeps its crunchy texture.

Cultural significance

The jicama is part of the biocultural heritage of Mesoamerica and an emblem of Mexican street cooking, particularly the snack of sticks with lime, salt and chilli sold from carts across the country, especially at schools, parks and markets. It is one of the first flavours that Mexican children associate with the national cuisine. Traditional Mexican Cuisine, inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, includes this kind of native vegetable as part of the gastronomic heritage. Economically, the jicama sustains thousands of producers in Nayarit, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Guerrero and Morelos, with Mexican annual production of about 60,000 tonnes. SADER highlights that Mexico is the world's leading producer and exporter of jicama, with growing markets in the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe, where it has positioned itself as a healthy and exotic vegetable. Recently, the jicama has gained visibility in international gourmet cooking and in raw-vegan, keto and low-carbohydrate diets, for its high prebiotic-fibre (inulin) content and low glycaemic index. Contemporary Mexican chefs such as Enrique Olvera, Margarita Carrillo and Patricia Quintana have integrated the jicama into modern menus, giving it new visibility as one of the great Mexican ingredients of the 21st century.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between jicama and turnip or radish?

Although they are all tubers, they are botanically different. The jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus, family Fabaceae) is a legume, juicy and sweet, eaten raw in sticks. The turnip (Brassica rapa) and the radish (Raphanus sativus) are brassicas, generally spicy or bitter, with a much stronger flavour. The jicama is larger, sweet and refreshing; the others are smaller and generally used cooked.

What does jicama taste like?

It has a very mild, neutral flavour, slightly sweet, with notes reminiscent of a cross between apple, Asian pear and fresh water. The texture is the real star: extremely crunchy, juicy and refreshing, similar to the Chinese water chestnut or young celeriac. When lime, salt and chilli powder are added, the sour and spicy flavours bring out its natural freshness without masking its mildness.

How is jicama served?

The most popular form is in sticks or half-moons, peeled and cut thick, sprinkled with salt, chilli powder (tajín) and a squeeze of lime, sold from street carts. It is also added raw to mixed salads, pico de gallo with pineapple and mango, ceviches, fruit cocktails and aguas frescas. Cooked, it can be added to soups, stews and Asian stir-fries, where it keeps its characteristic crunchy texture.

Where does jicama come from?

It is native to Mesoamerica, mainly Mexico and Central America, where it was domesticated from pre-Hispanic times. The name comes from the Nahuatl xicamatl. After the Conquest, the Spanish took it to the Philippines and from there it spread across Asia, where it is now widely grown. Mexico remains the world's leading producer, with emblematic regions such as Nayarit, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Guerrero and Morelos.