The growing popularity of Mexican food has popularized this root vegetable in the United States. Jicama is a white-fleshed tuber that can weigh from half a pound to five pounds or more. Shaped like a turnip, it has a thin brown skin and crisp, juicy flesh similar to a fine apple. Its bland flavor enables jicama to be used in a variety of ways. Although jicama can be used in some of the same ways as a potato, it is less starchy and lower in calories (a cup of sliced jicama has about 50 calories). The vegetable is a good source of Vitamin C, and also contains some potassium, iron, and calcium.
Look for hard, unblemished jicama roots that are heavy for their size.
You can serve raw slices or sticks sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder, with salsa, or in salads; add slivers to stir-fries (a good substitute for water chestnuts), or boil or bake the jicama like a potato.
Peel the papery skin with a paring knife; store cut pieces of jicama in a container of cold water.
