Amazing

[jmfargo]

I just discovered a fruit, erm, vegetable? Tuber?

Hold on.

Yam Bean, whatever that means.

Okay, I just found an amazing thing called Jicama. It looks like a round potato with two ends on it (ends like an apple has, if that makes sense?). You peel the rough hide from it, cut it into little sections, and eat. Supposedly it goes well with dips, but I can't see how you would need one.

What comes to mind when attempting to describe the flavor is sweet, nutty air, with a side of succulent juice. It was amazing. The nuttiness is almost like a walnut, with a hint of almond, while the sweetness is just enough to touch your palette, but not too much to overwhelm.

Fantastic.

Now we'll see how it is in stir-fry tonight. I'm experimenting on my friends with my cooking. Yay!

Comments

[evilbutcute.livejournal.com]

Congrats! I've enjoyed Jicama ever since I was little. But ya know, it's been a coupla years now. I think I need to add it to my shopping list this time around.

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

I picked it up at the store today because I was looking for something to go in a Hoisin-flavored (Chinese BBQ, basically) pork stir-fry tonight, and having trouble.

The label on the Jicama said it was sweet, and that it "goes well in stir-fry," so I thought "Self, we should try this."

And I did.

End of transmission.

[desta.livejournal.com]

Its excellent. Love the stuff. I buy it in sticks and snack on it.

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

It tastes like...something...I've had before, but I can't place it. Maybe I've had it before, and it was called something else?

Not that you would know the answer to that question. I'm just "thinking out loud" or something similar.

It's definately not very popular out here. They didn't even have a price on or near them. They were just kind of..there..with a label on them that said "Jicama." Serendipity that I picked it up and bought it, I suppose.

[desta.livejournal.com]

Its big out here, but I guess that has to do with where I live.

[donia.livejournal.com]

I had my first jicama in Buffalo. I love cooking and I have a million cookbooks. I ran across this salad recipe that called for it and they didn't have it at Tops at the time, so I went to a little Hispanic convenience store a few blocks from where I lived in Allentown and there it was! I thought it was a bitch to peel, but it was worth the effort. I haven't eaten it in a couple years because now I'm living in an Asian neighborhood and I've becomed immersed in Vietnamese. I'll have to look for some when I go to Jewel (our version of Tops) this weekend. It's been too long. Thanks for putting that sweet little tuber back in my brain.

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

Glad to help.

I often attempt to try new foods just on a whim. I always figure that if you don't try the new, weird things, you just might be missing something fantastic.

Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. This was a definate win.

Thankfully you can now find it in Tops.

[donia.livejournal.com]

I usually try new foods because of some recipe or when I go out to eat, otherwise I'm too afraid that it will be a waste of money. If I just saw a jicama for the first time, I wouldn't buy it because I wouldn't know what to do with it or if it would taste good, but if I see it in a recipe or at a restaurant mixed with a bunch of other foods I like, I'll go for it because I figure everything else is so good, it can't mess up the dish that bad.

Of course, there's exceptions to every rule. Take anchovies, for example. All it takes is one of those stank-ass mofos to ruin an entire dish, as far as I'm concerned. Before I left Buffalo, I made salsa with jicama in it and I was able to pick up ye ol' yam bean at Tops. That's when I knew jicamas had gone mainstream. Either that or a lot more Latins had moved in.

Rhutabaga

[of-little-note.livejournal.com]

I think that Jicama tastes similar to and has consistancy similar to a Rhutabaga.

Re: Rhutabaga

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I've ever had rhutabaga...

Something else to try.