Jicama

The funny thing about growing up speaking a different language is that you don't always know some food names in English until you visit a supermarket that has bi-lingual labels. For example, I've always known the Jicama root by a different name: 凉薯.

Just yesterday I went to the supermarket with mom and asked whether the jicama roots were indeed the same roots that I liked when I was little. Granted, I didn't read the label (can't remember if the english name was there or not). She said yes and told me to peel the root before eating it raw. I also had the option to dice it and cook it like any other root vegetable (maybe like daikon). After we paid for the groceries, I noticed the receipt had one item that sounded very foreign: jicama. Thanks to wiki, I quickly learned a new word for something I've always known.

Then it dawned on me that I have had it in salads but never knew it was the same thing from childhood because I didn't realize people outside of China actually ate it. Clearly people in Mexico have been eating it for a long time though. Silly me. 

I don't really have any recipes with jicamas. but I encourage everyone to try it out because it's a cool root. Its texture reminds me of a pear or daikon. It tastes slightly sweet, but not too much. I imagine it would work well in salads or perhaps as a refreshing snack.