How to Eat a Jicama

OK, you bought a jicama at the store and don't know what to do with it. This popular vegetable can be eaten many different ways, and it's very delicious, tasting somewhat like an apple. Give it a try!

EditSteps

EditPreparing Jicama to Eat

1. Find jicama. You aren’t likely to find jicama at a farmer’s market, and you might not find it at your regular grocery store, although you can check in the produce section.
   
   • The best place to find jicama is at a specialty produce shop or at Mexican, Asian, and Latin American grocery stores.
   • You are most likely to find jicama in the spring and summer, as they are imported from Central American countries in many cases. You want to avoid tubers that are soft or shriveled.
2. Peel the jicama’s skin. You need to peel away the skin of the jicama before you eat it. It might be hard to peel with a regular vegetable peeler. Do not eat the peel.
   
   • Instead, try using a chef’s knife. First, cut a thin slice from both the top and the bottom to create a flat top and flat bottom on each end. Before you peel the jicama, though, wash it in cool running water and then dry it off like you would a potato.
   • Set the jicama down on its broadest cut end. Work from top to bottom, and slide your knife beneath the jicama’s skin. Peel it while following the jicama’s natural lines.
3. Cut the jicama. After you peel the jicama, place it down on its widest cut end, and make even, vertical cuts in it. Then cut these pieces into sticks. Dice the sticks by cutting across them.^[1] Dicing means you cut the jicama into small cubes.
   
   • You can also shave the jicama on a mandolin. First, cut the vegetable in half or in quarters, then use the mandolin to slice off thin shavings.^[2]
4. Store the jicama. Although the jicama is white on the inside, you don’t need to worry about it discoloring. Thus, you don’t need to store it in anything special.
   
   • Instead, if you have, say, half of the root left, you could just put it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. It should be fine to eat even days later.
   • It might be a bit dry on its cut end, so you might have to cut that part away before you prepare it to eat. You can generally store jicama for 2 to 4 weeks, especially if you keep it in a cool, dry, and dark place. You don’t want to store it in temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius.

EditEating the Jicama

1. Eat the jicama raw. It’s possible to eat the jicama without cooking it. In fact, it tastes very good this way. You could eat it like a carrot stick, putting it in dip or just eating it plain.
   
   • People also turn jicama into salsa, by adding diced jicama with corn or diced tomato, black beans, red onion, minced jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro.
   • Turn the jicama into slaw by adding thin strips of it to shredded red cabbage, shredded carrots and avocado.
   • Put jicama in spring rolls or stir fry it. You can cook it briefly. It will add a crunchy texture to your stir-fry. You could cook it with broccoli, garlic, ginger, scallions, cashews or toasted sesame seeds.
2. Saute the jicama. You could also just saute the jicama with other vegetables, like broccoli or spinach. Jicama works well with other vegetables because it sort of resembles the texture of water chestnuts.
   
   • First, brown the jicama in a little bit of olive oil. Add a small sliced onion and ½ of a red pepper cut into strips. Cook until tender. ^[3]
   • You could also roast the jicama by cutting it into cubes, and putting it on a baking pan. Roast it in a 400-degree oven for an hour after sprinkling it with olive oil, rosemary, parsley, and ½ teaspoon mixed garlic.
3. Eat jicama chips. Jicama chips make for a healthy snack. To make them, you should peel 1 pound of the jicama.
   
   • Slice the jicama with a mandolin to about 2mm. Now, put the slices on parchment lined baking sheets. Make sure they are in single layers.
   • Brush olive oil on both sides of the jicama slices, and add salt and pepper. Now, bake them at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 100 minutes. You will want to make sure they are crisp, and you should turn them every 20 minutes.
   • You can also make raw jicama chips. Simply peel the jicama and thinly slice it. Squeeze it with ½ lime. Sprinkle salt, sugar, and chili powder on it. Chill it for 20 minutes before serving.
4. Make creative dishes with jicama. One way to eat jicama is to put it in fruit salad. This is common in Mexico, where street vendors will combine it with other fruits.
   
   • Mix diced jicama with chunks of mango, pineapple, watermelon, and cucumbers, and add lime juice and chili powder.^[4]
   • Add jicama to canapes for a cocktail party. Or use it instead of papayas in a shrimp salad. In a large bowl, mix jicama, sprouts, herbs and scallions. Whisk chili-garlic paste, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar, as well as salt and pepper. Mix together. Add shrimp and peanuts.^[5]
   • Consider adding the jicama to a salad or replace the cucumber in sushi rolls with it. It works best in quick-cooking recipes where it retains its crispness.^[6]

EditLearning the Benefits of Jicama

1. Get the facts on jicama. Jicama is a vegetable, not a fruit. It can be rather large, and it’s got skin with a bark-like texture.^[7]
   
   • The jicama’s taste has been described as being similar to an apple. It is sometimes called a Mexican turnip and is a starchy root popular in Mexico that is slightly sweet. It sort of has the texture of a firm pear or raw potato.
   • Jicama is also sometimes called a yam bean. It’s round and fleshy and comes from the bean family. It grows underground, especially in Central America, South Asia, and the Caribbean.^[8]
2. Know the health benefits of jicama. There are many reasons to eat jicama. For one, it has very few calories, only 35 per 100g. Jicama also is good for lowering cholesterol and has very low sodium.^[9]
   
   • It is a great source of dietary fiber. It is considered a good snack for diabetics or people who are on diets. However, you should also know that jicama contains an organic toxin called rotenone that has been lined to Parkinson’s disease in some studies. It’s mostly in the leaf tops, stems and seed pods, so don't eat those, but peeled roots are considered safe for human consumption.
   • Jicama is rich in vitamin C. There are many known health benefits from vitamin C, as it is known to protect against colds and even cancers. Jicama also contains important minerals like magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese.^[10]

EditVideo

EditTips

• Be sure to wash the jicama thoroughly once peeled.
• When peeling a jicama, never use a potato peeler. jicama skin is way too thick.
• To eat the jicama, Mexican style, you can also add some chili powder with the lime and salt.
• Store leftovers in plastic wrap or a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

EditWarnings

• Lime juice in the eye stings a whole bunch. Be careful.
• Always be careful with knives.
• Don't eat the skin.

EditThings You'll Need

• jicama
• knife
• cutting board
• limes
• salt
• chili powder
• an appetite for new things

EditRelated wikiHows

• Prepare Jicama
• Make Butter
• Make a Sushi Roll
• Grind Pepper Using a Mortar and Pestle
• Prepare a Toaster Strudel

EditSources and Citations

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