Jicama, also called Mexican yam bean or Mexican turnip, is naturally found in Mexico as well as in countries in Central and South America, but it was brought to Asia several centuries ago. The plant contains very little protein or fat and only the root can be eaten (raw).
General information:
From Wikipedia: “Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jicama, Mexican yam bean, or Mexican turnip, is the name of a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. Jícama is a species in the genus Pachyrhizus in the bean family (Fabaceae). Plants in this genus are commonly referred to as yam bean, although the term "yam bean" can be another name for jícama. The other major species of yam beans are also indigenous within the Americas.
Flowers, either blue or white, and pods similar to lima beans, are produced on fully developed plants. Several species of jicama occur, but the one found in [many] markets is Pachyrhizus erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de agua and jicama de leche: both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice while the agua form has a top-shaped to oblate root, a more watery translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.
Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, and Chinese potato. In Ecuador and Peru, the name jicama is used for the unrelated yacón or Peruvian ground apple, a plant of the sunflower family whose tubers are also used as food.”
Nutritional value:
“Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber. It is composed of 86–90% water; it contains only trace amounts of protein and lipids. Its sweet flavor comes from the oligofructose inulin (also called fructo-oligosaccharide) which is a prebiotic. Jícama is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is also a good source of potassium and vitamin C.”
Storage:
“Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, jicama should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.”
Culinary uses:
“The root's exterior is yellow and papery, while its inside is creamy white with a crisp texture that resembles raw potato or pear. The flavor is sweet and starchy, reminiscent of some apples or raw green beans, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chili powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce. It can be cut into thin wedges and dipped in salsa.
In Mexico, it is popular in salads, fresh fruit combinations, fruit bars, soups, and other cooked dishes. In contrast to the root, the remainder of the jícama plant is very poisonous; the seeds contain the toxin rotenone, which is used to poison insects and fish.”
Other uses:
“The leaves and pods are not edible. The toxic seeds are pulverized and used as insecticide. The stems have strong fibers and can be used to make fish nets.*”
Spread to China:
“Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl), from there it went to China and other parts of Southeast Asia, where notable uses of raw jícama include popiah, fresh lumpia in the Philippines and salads in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia such as yusheng and rojak.”
Note (italics): * = Translation from a German Wikipedia entry
Nutrient tables
The complete nutritional information, coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in the following nutrient tables.
Nutritional Information
|
per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Energy | 38 kcal 159 kJ | 1.9% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2000kcal |
Fat/Lipids | 0.09 g | 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 70g |
Saturated Fats | 0.02 g | 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 20g |
Carbohydrates (inc.dietary fiber) | 8.8 g | 3.3% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 270g |
Sugars | 1.8 g | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 90g |
Fiber | 4.9 g | 19.6% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 25g |
Protein/Albumin | 0.72 g | 1.4% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 50g |
Cooking Salt (Na:4.0 mg) | 10 mg | 0.4% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2.4g |
Essential micronutrients with the highest proportions | per 100g | 2000 kcal | |
---|---|---|---|
Vit | Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 20 mg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg |
Elem | Potassium, K | 150 mg | 8.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Vit | Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and | 12 µg | 6.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg |
Min | Copper, Cu | 0.05 mg | 5.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Min | Iron, Fe | 0.60 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Vit | Vitamin E, as a-TEs | 0.46 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 12 mg |
Elem | Magnesium, Mg | 12 mg | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Elem | Phosphorus, P | 18 mg | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg |
Vit | Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.04 mg | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Min | Manganese, Mn | 0.06 mg | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg |
Detailed micronutrients and daily requirement coverage per 100g
Explanations of nutrient tables in general
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Essential fatty acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Alpha-Linolenic acid; ALA; 18:3 omega-3 | 0.01 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 2.0 g |
Linoleic acid; LA; 18:2 omega-6 | 0.03 g | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 10 g |
Essential amino acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Threonine (Thr, T) | 0.02 g | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Isoleucine (Ile, I) | 0.02 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.2 g |
Leucine (Leu, L) | 0.02 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 2.4 g |
Lysine (Lys, K) | 0.03 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.9 g |
Methionine (Met, M) | 0.01 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Phenylalanine (Phe, F) | 0.02 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Valine (Val, V) | 0.02 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Vitamins | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 20 mg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg |
Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and | 12 µg | 6.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg |
Vitamin E, as a-TEs | 0.46 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 12 mg |
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.04 mg | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Thiamine (vitamin B1) | 0.02 mg | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.1 mg |
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.03 mg | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) | 0.14 mg | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 6.0 mg |
Niacin (née vitamin B3) | 0.20 mg | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 16 mg |
Vitamin A, as RAE | 1.0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg |
Vitamin D | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 5.0 µg |
Vitamin K | 0.30 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 75 µg |
Essential macroelements (macronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Potassium, K | 150 mg | 8.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Magnesium, Mg | 12 mg | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Phosphorus, P | 18 mg | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg |
Calcium, Ca | 12 mg | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Sodium, Na | 4.0 mg | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Essential trace elements (micronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Copper, Cu | 0.05 mg | 5.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Iron, Fe | 0.60 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Manganese, Mn | 0.06 mg | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg |
Zinc, Zn | 0.16 mg | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 10 mg |
Selenium, Se | 0.70 µg | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 55 µg |
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