{{Short description|Species of legume}} {{Redirect|Singkamas|the barangay in Makati, Philippines|Singkamas, Makati}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Speciesbox |image = Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png |genus = Pachyrhizus |species = erosus |authority = (L.) Urb. }}
'''''Pachyrhizus erosus''''', commonly known as '''''jícama''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɪ|k|ə|m|ə}} or {{IPAc-en|dʒ|ɪ|ˈ|k|ɑː|m|ə}};<ref>{{cite dictionary |dictionary=Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged |edition=12th |year=2014 |title=Jicama |access-date=18 July 2017 |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama |archive-date=19 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719221757/http://www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama |url-status=live }}</ref>{{fv|date=February 2026}} {{Langx|es|jícama}} {{IPA|es|ˈxikama||JicamaPronunciation.ogg}}; from {{Langx|nah|xīcamatl}} {{IPA|nah|ʃiːˈkamatɬ|}}) or '''Mexican turnip''', is a native Mesoamerican vine, although the name ''jícama'' most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 7, 2024 |title=7 Health Benefits of Jicama, According to Nutritionists |url=https://www.realsimple.com/jicama-benefits-8640822 |access-date=May 8, 2026 |website=Real Simple}}</ref>It is in the pea family (Fabaceae). ''Pachyrhizus tuberosus''<ref>''[http://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pachyrhizus+tuberosus Pachyrhizus tuberosus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224101222/http://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pachyrhizus+tuberosus |date=24 December 2017 }}''</ref> and ''Pachyrhizus ahipa'' are the other two cultivated species in the genus. The naming of this group of edible plants can sometimes be confusing, with much overlap of similar, or the same, common names.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jaiswal |first1=Varun |last2=Chauhan |first2=Shweta |last3=Lee |first3=Hae-Jeung |date=2021-12-27 |title=The Bioactivity and Phytochemicals of Pachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urb.: A Multifunctional Underutilized Crop Plant |journal=Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=58 |doi=10.3390/antiox11010058 |doi-access=free |issn=2076-3921 |pmc=8773301 |pmid=35052562}}</ref>
Flowers, either blue or white, and pods similar to peas, are produced on fully developed plants. Several species of ''Pachyrhizus'' are known as jícama, but the one found in many markets is ''P. erosus''. The two cultivated forms of ''P. erosus'' are ''jícama de agua'' and ''jícama 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 and a more watery, translucent juice and is the preferred form for the market.<ref name="UC">{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Hunter |title=Jicama |url=https://sfp.ucanr.edu/pubs/brochures/Jicama/ |access-date=31 July 2024 |publisher=University of California |archive-date=22 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722023405/https://sfp.ucanr.edu/pubs/brochures/Jicama/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Description == thumb|left|Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market left|thumb|upright|Jícama
The jícama vine can reach a height of {{Convert|4–5|m|abbr=off}} given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to {{Convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on|frac=2}} and weigh up to {{Convert|20|kg|abbr=off}}. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed {{Convert|23|kg|abbr=on}} and was found in 2010 in the Philippines.<ref name="heavy" /> Jícama is frost-tender and requires nine months without frost for a good harvest of large tubers or to grow it commercially. It is worth growing in cooler areas that have at least five months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least five months without frost can start seed eight to ten weeks before the last spring frost. Bottom heat is recommended, as the seeds require warm temperatures to germinate, so the pots will need to be kept in a warm place. Jícama is unsuitable for areas with a short growing season unless cultured in a greenhouse. Growers in tropical areas can sow seed at any time of the year. Those in subtropical areas should sow seeds once the soil has warmed in the spring.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jicama Growing Information|url=http://greenharvest.com.au/SeedOrganic/VegetableGrowingInformation/JicamaGrowingInformation.html|publisher=Green Harvest|access-date=31 July 2013|archive-date=23 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723163437/http://greenharvest.com.au/SeedOrganic/VegetableGrowingInformation/JicamaGrowingInformation.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Taxonomy == Other names for jícama include Mexican potato, ''ahipa'', ''saa got'', Chinese potato, and sweet turnip.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jicama - A Root with 11 Names |url=https://nouveauraw.com/reference-library/where-our-food-comes-from-2/jicama-a-root-with-11-names/ |access-date=2026-05-07 |language=en-US}}</ref> In Ecuador and Peru, the name ''jícama'' is used for the unrelated ''yacón'' or Peruvian ground apple, a sunflower family plant whose tubers are also used as food.<ref name="Bhasin">{{cite web |title=Globalization of Foods-Jicama |url=http://globalbhasin.blogspot.com/2012/07/globalization-of-foods-jicama.html |publisher=Global Bhasin |access-date=31 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111023059/http://globalbhasin.blogspot.com/2012/07/globalization-of-foods-jicama.html |archive-date=11 January 2014}}</ref>
== History == The jícama originated in Mexico and Central America.<ref name="nesbitt">{{cite book |editor1-last=Prance |editor1-first=Ghillean |editor2-last=Nesbitt |editor2-first=Mark |last1=Sanderson |first1=Helen|date=2005 |title=The Cultural History of Plants |publisher=Routledge |page=67 |isbn=0415927463}}</ref> It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.<ref name="nesbitt" /> In the 17th century, the jícama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.<ref name="nesbitt" />
=== Spread to Asia === Spaniards spread the cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as ''singkamas'', from Nahuatl ''xicamatl''),<ref name="singkamas">{{cite web |title=Singkamas |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/singkamas |access-date=2 January 2015 |publisher=Merriam-Webster |archive-date=2 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102052928/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/singkamas |url-status=live }}</ref> from there it went to China and other parts of Southeast Asia, where notable uses of raw jícama include ''popiah, '' ''bola-bola'' (meatballs) and fresh ''lumpia'' in the Philippines, and salads in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia such as ''yusheng'' and ''rojak''.
In the Philippines, it is usually eaten fresh with condiments, such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt or with ''bagoong'' (shrimp paste). It is also used as an extender for the Filipino versions of siomai and meatballs. In Malay, it is known as ''ubi sengkuang''. In Indonesia, jícama is known as ''bengkuang''. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the ''rojak'' (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, is nicknamed "the city of ''bengkuang''." Local people might have thought that this jícama is the "indigenous crop" of Padang. The crop has been grown everywhere in this city and has become a part of their culture.<ref>{{cite web |title=How to Grow Jicama: A Comprehensive Guide for Gardeners |date=18 April 2024 |url=https://seedy.farm/growing-guide/jicama/ |access-date=31 July 2024 |publisher=Seedy Farm |archive-date=24 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624152217/https://seedy.farm/growing-guide/jicama/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Toxicity == In contrast to the root, the remainder of the plant is very poisonous; the seeds contain the toxin rotenone, which is used to poison insects and fish. Mature seeds have a high rotenone content. Mature seeds, flowers, and beans have a high rotenone content.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jicama Guide: Nutrition, Benefits, Side Effects, and More |url=https://www.everydayhealth.com/food-ingredients/jicama-101-a-complete-guide/ |access-date=2026-05-07 |website=EverydayHealth.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Have You Tried Jicama? |url=https://health.clevelandclinic.org/jicama-nutrition |access-date=2026-05-07 |website=Cleveland Clinic |language=en}}</ref> Commercial jícama cultivation considered using them as an insecticide source.<ref name="UC" />
== Uses == === Culinary === [[File:Tajinbottle.jpg|thumb|left|Diced fresh jícama, seasoned with Tajín chili powder]]
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. It is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon or lime juice, ''alguashte'', and/or chili powder.<ref>{{cite web |last=López-Alt |first=J. Kenji |title=Chili-Lime Jicama Sticks Recipe |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/chili-lime-jicama-sticks-recipe |access-date=May 8, 2026 |website=Serious Eats}}</ref> It is also often paired with cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.<ref name="fiegui" /> It can be cut into thin wedges and dipped in salsa or can be cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. In Mexico, it is popular in salads, fresh fruit combinations, fruit bars, soups, and other cooked dishes. The exterior of the seed pods is edible and can be used in cooking; for example, the Ilocano dish ''bunga ng singkamas'' is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.
Flour can be made from the tubers by slicing, drying, and grinding them.<ref>{{Cite book |author=United States Department of the Army |author-link=United States Department of the Army |year=2009 |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants |location=New York |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |isbn=978-1-60239-692-0 |pages=125 |language=en-US |oclc=277203364}}</ref>
=== Nutrition === {{Nutritional value | name = Jícama, raw | kJ = 159 | water = 90 g | protein = 0.72 g | fat = 0.09 g | carbs = 8.82 g | fiber = 4.9 g | sugars = 1.8 g | calcium_mg = 12 | iron_mg = 0.6 | magnesium_mg = 12 | phosphorus_mg = 18 | potassium_mg = 150 | sodium_mg = 4 | zinc_mg = 0.16 | manganese_mg = 0.06 | vitC_mg = 20.2 | thiamin_mg = 0.02 | riboflavin_mg = 0.029 | niacin_mg = 0.2 | pantothenic_mg = 0.135 | vitB6_mg = 0.042 | folate_ug = 12 | choline_mg = 13.6 | source_usda = 1 | note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170073/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }}
Raw jícama is 90% water, 9% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat (table). In a {{convert|100|g|adj=on}} reference amount, it supplies 38 calories and is a rich source of vitamin C, with no other micronutrients in significant content (table).
=== Storage === Jícama should be stored dry, between {{convert|12.5|and|15|C|F}}. The jícama root will stay fresh for up to 4 months within this temperature range. Whole jícama can also be stored in a refrigerator to keep it free from moisture for up to 3 weeks. Storing at colder temperatures can discolor, damage the root, and degrade its texture. The root will keep fresh for one week after being sliced and should be wrapped and refrigerated for storage in this state.<ref>{{Citation|title=Using and Preserving Jicama|last=D'Sa|first=Elaine M.|date=September 2004|url=https://nchfp.uga.edu/resources/entry/using-and-preserving-jicama|publication-place=The University of Georgia|access-date=31 July 2024|publisher=National Center for Home Food Preservation|archive-date=31 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240731195445/https://nchfp.uga.edu/resources/entry/using-and-preserving-jicama|url-status=live}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="fiegui">{{cite book |title=Field Guide to Produce |publisher=Quirk Books |isbn=1-931686-80-7 |year=2004 |last=Green |first=Aliza |page=194}}</ref> <ref name="heavy">{{Cite web |url=http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/03/09/10/heaviest-singkamas-found-ilocos |title='Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos |access-date=25 March 2011 |archive-date=13 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313133242/http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/03/09/10/heaviest-singkamas-found-ilocos |url-status=dead }}</ref> }}
== External links == * {{Commons category-inline|Pachyrhizus erosus}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q517283}}
Category:Crops originating from Mexico Category:Crops originating from the Americas Category:Mexican cuisine Category:Phaseoleae Category:Root vegetables Category:Tropical agriculture