The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. In many contexts, potato refers to the edible tuber, but it can also refer to the plant itself. Common or slang terms include tater, tattie and spud. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Today they are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world's fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice.

 

Wild potato species can be found throughout the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile. The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated independently in multiple locations, but later genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species traced a single origin for potatoes. In the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia, from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex, potatoes were domesticated approximately 7,000–10,000 years ago. In the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultivated.

 

Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 1,000 different types of potatoes. Over 99% of presently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile, which have displaced formerly popular varieties from the Andes.

 

The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary ingredient varies by region and is still changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe, especially eastern and central Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world in overall production as of 2014.

 

Being a nightshade similar to tomatoes, the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine and are not fit for human consumption. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in amounts small enough to be negligible to human health, but if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to affect human health.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The English word potato comes from Spanish patata (the name used in Spain). The Spanish Royal Academy says the Spanish word is a hybrid of the Taíno batata (sweet potato) and the Quechua papa (potato). The name originally referred to the sweet potato although the two plants are not closely related. The 16th-century English herbalist John Gerard referred to sweet potatoes as "common potatoes", and used the terms "bastard potatoes" and "Virginia potatoes" for the species we now call "potato". In many of the chronicles detailing agriculture and plants, no distinction is made between the two. Potatoes are occasionally referred to as "Irish potatoes" or "white potatoes" in the United States, to distinguish them from sweet potatoes.

 

The name spud for a small potato comes from the digging of soil (or a hole) prior to the planting of potatoes. The word has an unknown origin and was originally (c. 1440) used as a term for a short knife or dagger, probably related to the Latin "spad-" a word root meaning "sword"; cf. Spanish "espada", English "spade" and "spadroon". It subsequently transferred over to a variety of digging tools. Around 1845, the name transferred to the tuber itself, the first record of this usage being in New Zealand English. The origin of the word "spud" has erroneously been attributed to an 18th-century activist group dedicated to keeping the potato out of Britain, calling itself The Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet (S.P.U.D.). It was Mario Pei's 1949 The Story of Language that can be blamed for the word's false origin. Pei writes, "the potato, for its part, was in disrepute some centuries ago. Some Englishmen who did not fancy potatoes formed a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet. The initials of the main words in this title gave rise to spud." Like most other pre-20th century acronymic origins, this is false, and there is no evidence that a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet ever existed.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Potato plants are herbaceous perennials that grow about 60 cm high, depending on variety, with the leaves dying back after flowering, fruiting and tuber formation. They bear white, pink, red, blue, or purple flowers with yellow stamens. In general, the tubers of varieties with white flowers have white skins, while those of varieties with colored flowers tend to have pinkish skins. Potatoes are mostly cross-pollinated by insects such as bumblebees, which carry pollen from other potato plants, though a substantial amount of self-fertilizing occurs as well. Tubers form in response to decreasing day length, although this tendency has been minimized in commercial varieties.

 

After flowering, potato plants produce small green fruits that resemble green cherry tomatoes, each containing about 300 seeds. Like all parts of the plant except the tubers, the fruit contain the toxic alkaloid solanine and are therefore unsuitable for consumption. All new potato varieties are grown from seeds, also called "true potato seed", "TPS" or "botanical seed" to distinguish it from seed tubers. New varieties grown from seed can be propagated vegetatively by planting tubers, pieces of tubers cut to include at least one or two eyes, or cuttings, a practice used in greenhouses for the production of healthy seed tubers. Plants propagated from tubers are clones of the parent, whereas those propagated from seed produce a range of different varieties.

 

GENETICS

There are about 5,000 potato varieties worldwide. Three thousand of them are found in the Andes alone, mainly in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia. They belong to eight or nine species, depending on the taxonomic school. Apart from the 5,000 cultivated varieties, there are about 200 wild species and subspecies, many of which can be cross-bred with cultivated varieties. Cross-breeding has been done repeatedly to transfer resistances to certain pests and diseases from the gene pool of wild species to the gene pool of cultivated potato species. Genetically modified varieties have met public resistance in the United States and in the European UnionThe major species grown worldwide is Solanum tuberosum (a tetraploid with 48 chromosomes), and modern varieties of this species are the most widely cultivated. There are also four diploid species (with 24 chromosomes): S. stenotomum, S. phureja, S. goniocalyx, and S. ajanhuiri. There are two triploid species (with 36 chromosomes): S. chaucha and S. juzepczukii. There is one pentaploid cultivated species (with 60 chromosomes): S. curtilobum. There are two major subspecies of Solanum tuberosum: andigena, or Andean; and tuberosum, or Chilean. The Andean potato is adapted to the short-day conditions prevalent in the mountainous equatorial and tropical regions where it originated; the Chilean potato, however, native to the Chiloé Archipelago, is adapted to the long-day conditions prevalent in the higher latitude region of southern Chile.

 

The International Potato Center, based in Lima, Peru, holds an ISO-accredited collection of potato germplasm. The international Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium announced in 2009 that they had achieved a draft sequence of the potato genome. The potato genome contains 12 chromosomes and 860 million base pairs, making it a medium-sized plant genome. More than 99 percent of all current varieties of potatoes currently grown are direct descendants of a subspecies that once grew in the lowlands of south-central Chile. Nonetheless, genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species affirms that all potato subspecies derive from a single origin in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme Northwestern Bolivia (from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex). The wild Crop Wild Relatives Prebreeding project encourages the use of wild relatives in breeding programs. Enriching and preserving the gene bank collection to make potatoes adaptive to diverse environmental conditions is seen as a pressing issue due to climate change.

 

Most modern potatoes grown in North America arrived through European settlement and not independently from the South American sources, although at least one wild potato species, Solanum fendleri, naturally ranges from Peru into Texas, where it is used in breeding for resistance to a nematode species that attacks cultivated potatoes. A secondary center of genetic variability of the potato is Mexico, where important wild species that have been used extensively in modern breeding are found, such as the hexaploid Solanum demissum, as a source of resistance to the devastating late blight disease. Another relative native to this region, Solanum bulbocastanum, has been used to genetically engineer the potato to resist potato blight.

 

Potatoes yield abundantly with little effort, and adapt readily to diverse climates as long as the climate is cool and moist enough for the plants to gather sufficient water from the soil to form the starchy tubers. Potatoes do not keep very well in storage and are vulnerable to moulds that feed on the stored tubers and quickly turn them rotten, whereas crops such as grain can be stored for several years with a low risk of rot. The yield of Calories per acre (about 9.2 million) is higher than that of maize (7.5 million), rice (7.4 million), wheat (3 million), or soybean (2.8 million).

 

VARIETIES

There are close to 4,000 varieties of potato including common commercial varieties, each of which has specific agricultural or culinary attributes. Around 80 varieties are commercially available in the UK. In general, varieties are categorized into a few main groups based on common characteristics, such as russet potatoes (rough brown skin), red potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes (also called Yukon potatoes) and purple potatoes.

 

For culinary purposes, varieties are often differentiated by their waxiness: floury or mealy baking potatoes have more starch (20–22%) than waxy boiling potatoes (16–18%). The distinction may also arise from variation in the comparative ratio of two different potato starch compounds: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose, a long-chain molecule, diffuses from the starch granule when cooked in water, and lends itself to dishes where the potato is mashed. Varieties that contain a slightly higher amylopectin content, which is a highly branched molecule, help the potato retain its shape after being boiled in water. Potatoes that are good for making potato chips or potato crisps are sometimes called "chipping potatoes", which means they meet the basic requirements of similar varietal characteristics, being firm, fairly clean, and fairly well-shaped.

 

The European Cultivated Potato Database (ECPD) is an online collaborative database of potato variety descriptions that is updated and maintained by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency within the framework of the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR)—which is run by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).

 

PIGMENTATION

Dozens of potato cultivars have been selectively bred specifically for their skin or, more commonly, flesh color, including gold, red, and blue varieties that contain varying amounts of phytochemicals, including carotenoids for gold/yellow or polyphenols for red or blue cultivars. Carotenoid compounds include provitamin A alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, which are converted to the essential nutrient, vitamin A, during digestion. Anthocyanins mainly responsible for red or blue pigmentation in potato cultivars do not have nutritional significance, but are used for visual variety and consumer appeal. Recently, as of 2010, potatoes have also been bioengineered specifically for these pigmentation traits.

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED POTATOES

Genetic research has produced several genetically modified varieties. 'New Leaf', owned by Monsanto Company, incorporates genes from Bacillus thuringiensis, which confers resistance to the Colorado potato beetle; 'New Leaf Plus' and 'New Leaf Y', approved by US regulatory agencies during the 1990s, also include resistance to viruses. McDonald's, Burger King, Frito-Lay, and Procter & Gamble announced they would not use genetically modified potatoes, and Monsanto published its intent to discontinue the line in March 2001.

 

Waxy potato varieties produce two main kinds of potato starch, amylose and amylopectin, the latter of which is most industrially useful. BASF developed the Amflora potato, which was modified to express antisense RNA to inactivate the gene for granule bound starch synthase, an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of amylose. Amflora potatoes therefore produce starch consisting almost entirely of amylopectin, and are thus more useful for the starch industry. In 2010, the European Commission cleared the way for 'Amflora' to be grown in the European Union for industrial purposes only—not for food. Nevertheless, under EU rules, individual countries have the right to decide whether they will allow this potato to be grown on their territory. Commercial planting of 'Amflora' was expected in the Czech Republic and Germany in the spring of 2010, and Sweden and the Netherlands in subsequent years. Another GM potato variety developed by BASF is 'Fortuna' which was made resistant to late blight by adding two resistance genes, blb1 and blb2, which originate from the Mexican wild potato Solanum bulbocastanum. In October 2011 BASF requested cultivation and marketing approval as a feed and food from the EFSA. In 2012, GMO development in Europe was stopped by BASF.

 

In November 2014, the USDA approved a genetically modified potato developed by J.R. Simplot Company, which contains genetic modifications that prevent bruising and produce less acrylamide when fried than conventional potatoes; the modifications do not cause new proteins to be made, but rather prevent proteins from being made via RNA interference.

 

HISTORY

The potato was first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BC. It has since spread around the world and become a staple crop in many countries.

 

The earliest archaeologically verified potato tuber remains have been found at the coastal site of Ancon (central Peru), dating to 2500 BC. The most widely cultivated variety, Solanum tuberosum tuberosum, is indigenous to the Chiloé Archipelago, and has been cultivated by the local indigenous people since before the Spanish conquest.

 

According to conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato was responsible for a quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. In the Altiplano, potatoes provided the principal energy source for the Inca civilization, its predecessors, and its Spanish successor. Following the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century, part of the Columbian exchange. The staple was subsequently conveyed by European mariners to territories and ports throughout the world. The potato was slow to be adopted by European farmers, but soon enough it became an important food staple and field crop that played a major role in the European 19th century population boom. However, lack of genetic diversity, due to the very limited number of varieties initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a plant disease known as late blight, caused by the fungus-like oomycete Phytophthora infestans, spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland as well as parts of the Scottish Highlands, resulting in the crop failures that led to the Great Irish Famine. Thousands of varieties still persist in the Andes however, where over 100 cultivars might be found in a single valley, and a dozen or more might be maintained by a single agricultural household.

 

PRODUCTION

In 2016, world production of potatoes was 377 million tonnes, led by China with over 26% of the world total (see table). Other major producers were India, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. It remains an essential crop in Europe (especially eastern and central Europe), where per capita production is still the highest in the world, but the most rapid expansion over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia.

 

NUTRITION

A raw potato is 79% water, 17% carbohydrates (88% is starch), 2% protein, and contains negligible fat (see table). In an amount measuring 100 grams, raw potato provides 322 kilojoules (77 kilocalories) of energy and is a rich source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C (23% and 24% of the Daily Value, respectively), with no other vitamins or minerals in significant amount (see table). The potato is rarely eaten raw because raw potato starch is poorly digested by humans. When a potato is baked, its contents of vitamin B6 and vitamin C decline notably, while there is little significant change in the amount of other nutrients.

 

Potatoes are often broadly classified as having a high glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a low-GI diet. The GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on the cultivar or cultivar category (such as "red", russet, "white", or King Edward), growing conditions and storage, preparation methods (by cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole), and accompanying foods consumed (especially the addition of various high-fat or high-protein toppings). In particular, consuming reheated or cooled potatoes that were previously cooked may yield a lower GI effect.

 

In the UK, potatoes are not considered by the National Health Service (NHS) as counting or contributing towards the recommended daily five portions of fruit and vegetables, the 5-A-Day program.

 

COMPARISON TO OTHER STAPLE FOODS

This table shows the nutrient content of potatoes next to other major staple foods, each one measured in its respective raw state, even though staple foods are not commonly eaten raw and are usually sprouted or cooked before eating. In sprouted and cooked form, the relative nutritional and anti-nutritional contents of each of these grains (or other foods) may be different from the values in this table. Each nutrient (every row) has the highest number highlighted to show the staple food with the greatest amount in a 100-gram raw portion.

 

TOXICITY

Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Solanine is found in other plants in the same family, Solanaceae, which includes such plants as deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), as well as the food plants eggplant and tomato. These compounds, which protect the potato plant from its predators, are generally concentrated in its leaves, flowers, sprouts, and fruits (in contrast to the tubers). In a summary of several studies, the glycoalkaloid content was highest in the flowers and sprouts and lowest in the tuber flesh. (The glycoalkaloid content was, in order from highest to lowest: flowers, sprouts, leaves, skin, roots, berries, peel [skin plus outer cortex of tuber flesh], stems, and tuber flesh.)

 

Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber. Cooking at high temperatures—over 170 °C—partly destroys these compounds. The concentration of glycoalkaloids in wild potatoes is sufficient to produce toxic effects in humans. Glycoalkaloid poisoning may cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps, and, in severe cases, coma and death. However, poisoning from cultivated potato varieties is very rare. Light exposure causes greening from chlorophyll synthesis, giving a visual clue as to which areas of the tuber may have become more toxic. However, this does not provide a definitive guide, as greening and glycoalkaloid accumulation can occur independently of each other.

 

Different potato varieties contain different levels of glycoalkaloids. The Lenape variety was released in 1967 but was withdrawn in 1970 as it contained high levels of glycoalkaloids. Since then, breeders developing new varieties test for this, and sometimes have to discard an otherwise promising cultivar. Breeders try to keep glycoalkaloid levels below 200 mg/kg). However, when these commercial varieties turn green, they can still approach solanine concentrations of 1000 mg/kg. In normal potatoes, analysis has shown solanine levels may be as little as 3.5% of the breeders' maximum, with 7–187 mg/kg being found. While a normal potato tuber has 12–20 mg/kg of glycoalkaloid content, a green potato tuber contains 250–280 mg/kg and its skin has 1500–2200 mg/kg.

 

GROWTH AND CULTIVATION

SEED POTATOES

Potatoes are generally grown from seed potatoes, tubers specifically grown to be free from disease and to provide consistent and healthy plants. To be disease free, the areas where seed potatoes are grown are selected with care. In the US, this restricts production of seed potatoes to only 15 states out of all 50 states where potatoes are grown. These locations are selected for their cold, hard winters that kill pests and summers with long sunshine hours for optimum growth. In the UK, most seed potatoes originate in Scotland, in areas where westerly winds prevent aphid attack and thus prevent spread of potato virus pathogens.

 

PHASES OF GROWTH

Potato growth is divided into five phases. During the first phase, sprouts emerge from the seed potatoes and root growth begins. During the second, photosynthesis begins as the plant develops leaves and branches. In the third phase, stolons develop from lower leaf axils on the stem and grow downwards into the ground and on these stolons new tubers develop as swellings of the stolon. This phase is often, but not always, associated with flowering. Tuber formation halts when soil temperatures reach 27 °C; hence potatoes are considered a cool-season, or winter, crop. Tuber bulking occurs during the fourth phase, when the plant begins investing the majority of its resources in its newly formed tubers. At this phase, several factors are critical to a good yield: optimal soil moisture and temperature, soil nutrient availability and balance, and resistance to pest attacks. The fifth and final phase is the maturation of the tubers: the plant canopy dies back, the tuber skins harden, and the sugars in the tubers convert to starches.

 

CHALLENGES

New tubers may start growing at the surface of the soil. Since exposure to light leads to an undesirable greening of the skins and the development of solanine as a protection from the sun's rays, growers cover surface tubers. Commercial growers cover them by piling additional soil around the base of the plant as it grows (called "hilling" up, or in British English "earthing up"). An alternative method, used by home gardeners and smaller-scale growers, involves covering the growing area with organic mulches such as straw or plastic sheets.

 

Correct potato husbandry can be an arduous task in some circumstances. Good ground preparation, harrowing, plowing, and rolling are always needed, along with a little grace from the weather and a good source of water. Three successive plowings, with associated harrowing and rolling, are desirable before planting. Eliminating all root-weeds is desirable in potato cultivation. In general, the potatoes themselves are grown from the eyes of another potato and not from seed. Home gardeners often plant a piece of potato with two or three eyes in a hill of mounded soil. Commercial growers plant potatoes as a row crop using seed tubers, young plants or microtubers and may mound the entire row. Seed potato crops are rogued in some countries to eliminate diseased plants or those of a different variety from the seed crop.

 

Potatoes are sensitive to heavy frosts, which damage them in the ground. Even cold weather makes potatoes more susceptible to bruising and possibly later rotting, which can quickly ruin a large stored crop.

 

PESTS

The historically significant Phytophthora infestans (late blight) remains an ongoing problem in Europe and the United States. Other potato diseases include Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, black leg, powdery mildew, powdery scab and leafroll virus.

 

Insects that commonly transmit potato diseases or damage the plants include the Colorado potato beetle, the potato tuber moth, the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), the potato aphid, beet leafhoppers, thrips, and mites. The potato cyst nematode is a microscopic worm that thrives on the roots, thus causing the potato plants to wilt. Since its eggs can survive in the soil for several years, crop rotation is recommended.

 

During the crop year 2008, many of the certified organic potatoes produced in the United Kingdom and certified by the Soil Association as organic were sprayed with a copper pesticide to control potato blight (Phytophthora infestans). According to the Soil Association, the total copper that can be applied to organic land is 6 kg/ha/year.

 

According to an Environmental Working Group analysis of USDA and FDA pesticide residue tests performed from 2000 through 2008, 84% of the 2,216 tested potato samples contained detectable traces of at least one pesticide. A total of 36 unique pesticides were detected on potatoes over the 2,216 samples, though no individual sample contained more than 6 unique pesticide traces, and the average was 1.29 detectable unique pesticide traces per sample. The average quantity of all pesticide traces found in the 2,216 samples was 1.602 ppm. While this was a very low value of pesticide residue, it was the highest amongst the 50 vegetables analyzed.

 

HARVEST

At harvest time, gardeners usually dig up potatoes with a long-handled, three-prong "grape" (or graip), i.e., a spading fork, or a potato hook, which is similar to the graip but with tines at a 90° angle to the handle. In larger plots, the plow is the fastest implement for unearthing potatoes. Commercial harvesting is typically done with large potato harvesters, which scoop up the plant and surrounding earth. This is transported up an apron chain consisting of steel links several feet wide, which separates some of the dirt. The chain deposits into an area where further separation occurs. Different designs use different systems at this point. The most complex designs use vine choppers and shakers, along with a blower system to separate the potatoes from the plant. The result is then usually run past workers who continue to sort out plant material, stones, and rotten potatoes before the potatoes are continuously delivered to a wagon or truck. Further inspection and separation occurs when the potatoes are unloaded from the field vehicles and put into storage.

 

Immature potatoes may be sold as "creamer potatoes" and are particularly valued for taste. These are often harvested by the home gardener or farmer by "grabbling", i.e. pulling out the young tubers by hand while leaving the plant in place. A creamer potato is a variety of potato harvested before it matures to keep it small and tender. It is generally either a Yukon Gold potato or a red potato, called gold creamers or red creamers respectively, and measures approximately 2.5 cm in diameter. The skin of creamer potatoes is waxy and high in moisture content, and the flesh contains a lower level of starch than other potatoes. Like potatoes in general, they can be prepared by boiling, baking, frying, and roasting. Slightly older than creamer potatoes are "new potatoes", which are also prized for their taste and texture and often come from the same varieties.

 

Potatoes are usually cured after harvest to improve skin-set. Skin-set is the process by which the skin of the potato becomes resistant to skinning damage. Potato tubers may be susceptible to skinning at harvest and suffer skinning damage during harvest and handling operations. Curing allows the skin to fully set and any wounds to heal. Wound-healing prevents infection and water-loss from the tubers during storage. Curing is normally done at relatively warm temperatures 10 to 16 °C with high humidity and good gas-exchange if at all possible.

 

STORAGE

Storage facilities need to be carefully designed to keep the potatoes alive and slow the natural process of decomposition, which involves the breakdown of starch. It is crucial that the storage area is dark, ventilated well and, for long-term storage, maintained at temperatures near 4 °C. For short-term storage, temperatures of about 7 to 10 °C are preferred.

 

On the other hand, temperatures below 4 °C convert the starch in potatoes into sugar, which alters their taste and cooking qualities and leads to higher acrylamide levels in the cooked product, especially in deep-fried dishes. The discovery of acrylamides in starchy foods in 2002 has led to international health concerns. They are believed to be probable carcinogens and their occurrence in cooked foods is being studied for potentially influencing health problems.

 

Under optimum conditions in commercial warehouses, potatoes can be stored for up to 10–12 months. The commercial storage and retrieval of potatoes involves several phases: first drying surface moisture; wound healing at 85% to 95% relative humidity and temperatures below 25 °C; a staged cooling phase; a holding phase; and a reconditioning phase, during which the tubers are slowly warmed. Mechanical ventilation is used at various points during the process to prevent condensation and the accumulation of carbon dioxide.

 

When stored in homes unrefrigerated, the shelf life is usually a few weeks.

 

If potatoes develop green areas or start to sprout, trimming or peeling those green-colored parts is inadequate to remove copresent toxins, and such potatoes are no longer edible.

 

YIELD

The world dedicated 18.6 million ha in 2010 for potato cultivation. The average world farm yield for potato was 17.4 tonnes per hectare, in 2010. Potato farms in the United States were the most productive in 2010, with a nationwide average of 44.3 tonnes per hectare. United Kingdom was a close second.

 

New Zealand farmers have demonstrated some of the best commercial yields in the world, ranging between 60 and 80 tonnes per hectare, some reporting yields of 88 tonnes potatoes per hectare.

 

There is a big gap among various countries between high and low yields, even with the same variety of potato. Average potato yields in developed economies ranges between 38–44 tonnes per hectare. China and India accounted for over a third of world's production in 2010, and had yields of 14.7 and 19.9 tonnes per hectare respectively. The yield gap between farms in developing economies and developed economies represents an opportunity loss of over 400 million tonnes of potato, or an amount greater than 2010 world potato production. Potato crop yields are determined by factors such as the crop breed, seed age and quality, crop management practices and the plant environment. Improvements in one or more of these yield determinants, and a closure of the yield gap, can be a major boost to food supply and farmer incomes in the developing world.

 

USES

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to swell the starch granules. Most potato dishes are served hot but some are first cooked, then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips (crisps). Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes. Unlike many foods, potatoes can also be easily cooked in a microwave oven and still retain nearly all of their nutritional value, provided they are covered in ventilated plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping; this method produces a meal very similar to a steamed potato, while retaining the appearance of a conventionally baked potato. Potato chunks also commonly appear as a stew ingredient. Potatoes are boiled between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on size and type, to become soft.

 

OTHER THAN FOR EATING

Potatoes are also used for purposes other than eating by humans, for example:

 

Potatoes are used to brew alcoholic beverages such as vodka, poitín, or akvavit.

They are also used as fodder for livestock. Livestock-grade potatoes, considered too small and/or blemished to sell or market for human use but suitable for fodder use, have been called chats in some dialects. They may be stored in bins until use; they are sometimes ensiled. Some farmers prefer to steam them rather than feed them raw and are equipped to do so efficiently.

Potato starch is used in the food industry as a thickener and binder for soups and sauces, in the textile industry as an adhesive, and for the manufacturing of papers and boards.

Maine companies are exploring the possibilities of using waste potatoes to obtain polylactic acid for use in plastic products; other research projects seek ways to use the starch as a base for biodegradable packaging.

Potato skins, along with honey, are a folk remedy for burns in India. Burn centres in India have experimented with the use of the thin outer skin layer to protect burns while healing.

Potatoes (mainly Russets) are commonly used in plant research. The consistent parenchyma tissue, the clonal nature of the plant and the low metabolic activity provide a very nice "model tissue" for experimentation. Wound-response studies are often done on potato tuber tissue, as are electron transport experiments. In this respect, potato tuber tissue is similar to Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans and Escherichia coli: they are all "standard" research organisms.

Potatoes have been delivered with personalized messages as a novelty. Potato delivery services include Potato Parcel and Mail A Spud.

 

WIKIPEDIA

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. In many contexts, potato refers to the edible tuber, but it can also refer to the plant itself. Common or slang terms include tater, tattie and spud. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Today they are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world's fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice.

 

Wild potato species can be found throughout the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile. The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated independently in multiple locations, but later genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species traced a single origin for potatoes. In the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia, from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex, potatoes were domesticated approximately 7,000–10,000 years ago. In the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultivated.

 

Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 1,000 different types of potatoes. Over 99% of presently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile, which have displaced formerly popular varieties from the Andes.

 

The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary ingredient varies by region and is still changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe, especially eastern and central Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world in overall production as of 2014.

 

Being a nightshade similar to tomatoes, the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine and are not fit for human consumption. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in amounts small enough to be negligible to human health, but if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to affect human health.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The English word potato comes from Spanish patata (the name used in Spain). The Spanish Royal Academy says the Spanish word is a hybrid of the Taíno batata (sweet potato) and the Quechua papa (potato). The name originally referred to the sweet potato although the two plants are not closely related. The 16th-century English herbalist John Gerard referred to sweet potatoes as "common potatoes", and used the terms "bastard potatoes" and "Virginia potatoes" for the species we now call "potato". In many of the chronicles detailing agriculture and plants, no distinction is made between the two. Potatoes are occasionally referred to as "Irish potatoes" or "white potatoes" in the United States, to distinguish them from sweet potatoes.

 

The name spud for a small potato comes from the digging of soil (or a hole) prior to the planting of potatoes. The word has an unknown origin and was originally (c. 1440) used as a term for a short knife or dagger, probably related to the Latin "spad-" a word root meaning "sword"; cf. Spanish "espada", English "spade" and "spadroon". It subsequently transferred over to a variety of digging tools. Around 1845, the name transferred to the tuber itself, the first record of this usage being in New Zealand English. The origin of the word "spud" has erroneously been attributed to an 18th-century activist group dedicated to keeping the potato out of Britain, calling itself The Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet (S.P.U.D.). It was Mario Pei's 1949 The Story of Language that can be blamed for the word's false origin. Pei writes, "the potato, for its part, was in disrepute some centuries ago. Some Englishmen who did not fancy potatoes formed a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet. The initials of the main words in this title gave rise to spud." Like most other pre-20th century acronymic origins, this is false, and there is no evidence that a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet ever existed.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Potato plants are herbaceous perennials that grow about 60 cm high, depending on variety, with the leaves dying back after flowering, fruiting and tuber formation. They bear white, pink, red, blue, or purple flowers with yellow stamens. In general, the tubers of varieties with white flowers have white skins, while those of varieties with colored flowers tend to have pinkish skins. Potatoes are mostly cross-pollinated by insects such as bumblebees, which carry pollen from other potato plants, though a substantial amount of self-fertilizing occurs as well. Tubers form in response to decreasing day length, although this tendency has been minimized in commercial varieties.

 

After flowering, potato plants produce small green fruits that resemble green cherry tomatoes, each containing about 300 seeds. Like all parts of the plant except the tubers, the fruit contain the toxic alkaloid solanine and are therefore unsuitable for consumption. All new potato varieties are grown from seeds, also called "true potato seed", "TPS" or "botanical seed" to distinguish it from seed tubers. New varieties grown from seed can be propagated vegetatively by planting tubers, pieces of tubers cut to include at least one or two eyes, or cuttings, a practice used in greenhouses for the production of healthy seed tubers. Plants propagated from tubers are clones of the parent, whereas those propagated from seed produce a range of different varieties.

 

GENETICS

There are about 5,000 potato varieties worldwide. Three thousand of them are found in the Andes alone, mainly in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia. They belong to eight or nine species, depending on the taxonomic school. Apart from the 5,000 cultivated varieties, there are about 200 wild species and subspecies, many of which can be cross-bred with cultivated varieties. Cross-breeding has been done repeatedly to transfer resistances to certain pests and diseases from the gene pool of wild species to the gene pool of cultivated potato species. Genetically modified varieties have met public resistance in the United States and in the European UnionThe major species grown worldwide is Solanum tuberosum (a tetraploid with 48 chromosomes), and modern varieties of this species are the most widely cultivated. There are also four diploid species (with 24 chromosomes): S. stenotomum, S. phureja, S. goniocalyx, and S. ajanhuiri. There are two triploid species (with 36 chromosomes): S. chaucha and S. juzepczukii. There is one pentaploid cultivated species (with 60 chromosomes): S. curtilobum. There are two major subspecies of Solanum tuberosum: andigena, or Andean; and tuberosum, or Chilean. The Andean potato is adapted to the short-day conditions prevalent in the mountainous equatorial and tropical regions where it originated; the Chilean potato, however, native to the Chiloé Archipelago, is adapted to the long-day conditions prevalent in the higher latitude region of southern Chile.

 

The International Potato Center, based in Lima, Peru, holds an ISO-accredited collection of potato germplasm. The international Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium announced in 2009 that they had achieved a draft sequence of the potato genome. The potato genome contains 12 chromosomes and 860 million base pairs, making it a medium-sized plant genome. More than 99 percent of all current varieties of potatoes currently grown are direct descendants of a subspecies that once grew in the lowlands of south-central Chile. Nonetheless, genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species affirms that all potato subspecies derive from a single origin in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme Northwestern Bolivia (from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex). The wild Crop Wild Relatives Prebreeding project encourages the use of wild relatives in breeding programs. Enriching and preserving the gene bank collection to make potatoes adaptive to diverse environmental conditions is seen as a pressing issue due to climate change.

 

Most modern potatoes grown in North America arrived through European settlement and not independently from the South American sources, although at least one wild potato species, Solanum fendleri, naturally ranges from Peru into Texas, where it is used in breeding for resistance to a nematode species that attacks cultivated potatoes. A secondary center of genetic variability of the potato is Mexico, where important wild species that have been used extensively in modern breeding are found, such as the hexaploid Solanum demissum, as a source of resistance to the devastating late blight disease. Another relative native to this region, Solanum bulbocastanum, has been used to genetically engineer the potato to resist potato blight.

 

Potatoes yield abundantly with little effort, and adapt readily to diverse climates as long as the climate is cool and moist enough for the plants to gather sufficient water from the soil to form the starchy tubers. Potatoes do not keep very well in storage and are vulnerable to moulds that feed on the stored tubers and quickly turn them rotten, whereas crops such as grain can be stored for several years with a low risk of rot. The yield of Calories per acre (about 9.2 million) is higher than that of maize (7.5 million), rice (7.4 million), wheat (3 million), or soybean (2.8 million).

 

VARIETIES

There are close to 4,000 varieties of potato including common commercial varieties, each of which has specific agricultural or culinary attributes. Around 80 varieties are commercially available in the UK. In general, varieties are categorized into a few main groups based on common characteristics, such as russet potatoes (rough brown skin), red potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes (also called Yukon potatoes) and purple potatoes.

 

For culinary purposes, varieties are often differentiated by their waxiness: floury or mealy baking potatoes have more starch (20–22%) than waxy boiling potatoes (16–18%). The distinction may also arise from variation in the comparative ratio of two different potato starch compounds: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose, a long-chain molecule, diffuses from the starch granule when cooked in water, and lends itself to dishes where the potato is mashed. Varieties that contain a slightly higher amylopectin content, which is a highly branched molecule, help the potato retain its shape after being boiled in water. Potatoes that are good for making potato chips or potato crisps are sometimes called "chipping potatoes", which means they meet the basic requirements of similar varietal characteristics, being firm, fairly clean, and fairly well-shaped.

 

The European Cultivated Potato Database (ECPD) is an online collaborative database of potato variety descriptions that is updated and maintained by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency within the framework of the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR)—which is run by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).

 

PIGMENTATION

Dozens of potato cultivars have been selectively bred specifically for their skin or, more commonly, flesh color, including gold, red, and blue varieties that contain varying amounts of phytochemicals, including carotenoids for gold/yellow or polyphenols for red or blue cultivars. Carotenoid compounds include provitamin A alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, which are converted to the essential nutrient, vitamin A, during digestion. Anthocyanins mainly responsible for red or blue pigmentation in potato cultivars do not have nutritional significance, but are used for visual variety and consumer appeal. Recently, as of 2010, potatoes have also been bioengineered specifically for these pigmentation traits.

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED POTATOES

Genetic research has produced several genetically modified varieties. 'New Leaf', owned by Monsanto Company, incorporates genes from Bacillus thuringiensis, which confers resistance to the Colorado potato beetle; 'New Leaf Plus' and 'New Leaf Y', approved by US regulatory agencies during the 1990s, also include resistance to viruses. McDonald's, Burger King, Frito-Lay, and Procter & Gamble announced they would not use genetically modified potatoes, and Monsanto published its intent to discontinue the line in March 2001.

 

Waxy potato varieties produce two main kinds of potato starch, amylose and amylopectin, the latter of which is most industrially useful. BASF developed the Amflora potato, which was modified to express antisense RNA to inactivate the gene for granule bound starch synthase, an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of amylose. Amflora potatoes therefore produce starch consisting almost entirely of amylopectin, and are thus more useful for the starch industry. In 2010, the European Commission cleared the way for 'Amflora' to be grown in the European Union for industrial purposes only—not for food. Nevertheless, under EU rules, individual countries have the right to decide whether they will allow this potato to be grown on their territory. Commercial planting of 'Amflora' was expected in the Czech Republic and Germany in the spring of 2010, and Sweden and the Netherlands in subsequent years. Another GM potato variety developed by BASF is 'Fortuna' which was made resistant to late blight by adding two resistance genes, blb1 and blb2, which originate from the Mexican wild potato Solanum bulbocastanum. In October 2011 BASF requested cultivation and marketing approval as a feed and food from the EFSA. In 2012, GMO development in Europe was stopped by BASF.

 

In November 2014, the USDA approved a genetically modified potato developed by J.R. Simplot Company, which contains genetic modifications that prevent bruising and produce less acrylamide when fried than conventional potatoes; the modifications do not cause new proteins to be made, but rather prevent proteins from being made via RNA interference.

 

HISTORY

The potato was first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BC. It has since spread around the world and become a staple crop in many countries.

 

The earliest archaeologically verified potato tuber remains have been found at the coastal site of Ancon (central Peru), dating to 2500 BC. The most widely cultivated variety, Solanum tuberosum tuberosum, is indigenous to the Chiloé Archipelago, and has been cultivated by the local indigenous people since before the Spanish conquest.

 

According to conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato was responsible for a quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. In the Altiplano, potatoes provided the principal energy source for the Inca civilization, its predecessors, and its Spanish successor. Following the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century, part of the Columbian exchange. The staple was subsequently conveyed by European mariners to territories and ports throughout the world. The potato was slow to be adopted by European farmers, but soon enough it became an important food staple and field crop that played a major role in the European 19th century population boom. However, lack of genetic diversity, due to the very limited number of varieties initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a plant disease known as late blight, caused by the fungus-like oomycete Phytophthora infestans, spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland as well as parts of the Scottish Highlands, resulting in the crop failures that led to the Great Irish Famine. Thousands of varieties still persist in the Andes however, where over 100 cultivars might be found in a single valley, and a dozen or more might be maintained by a single agricultural household.

 

PRODUCTION

In 2016, world production of potatoes was 377 million tonnes, led by China with over 26% of the world total (see table). Other major producers were India, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. It remains an essential crop in Europe (especially eastern and central Europe), where per capita production is still the highest in the world, but the most rapid expansion over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia.

 

NUTRITION

A raw potato is 79% water, 17% carbohydrates (88% is starch), 2% protein, and contains negligible fat (see table). In an amount measuring 100 grams, raw potato provides 322 kilojoules (77 kilocalories) of energy and is a rich source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C (23% and 24% of the Daily Value, respectively), with no other vitamins or minerals in significant amount (see table). The potato is rarely eaten raw because raw potato starch is poorly digested by humans. When a potato is baked, its contents of vitamin B6 and vitamin C decline notably, while there is little significant change in the amount of other nutrients.

 

Potatoes are often broadly classified as having a high glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a low-GI diet. The GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on the cultivar or cultivar category (such as "red", russet, "white", or King Edward), growing conditions and storage, preparation methods (by cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole), and accompanying foods consumed (especially the addition of various high-fat or high-protein toppings). In particular, consuming reheated or cooled potatoes that were previously cooked may yield a lower GI effect.

 

In the UK, potatoes are not considered by the National Health Service (NHS) as counting or contributing towards the recommended daily five portions of fruit and vegetables, the 5-A-Day program.

 

COMPARISON TO OTHER STAPLE FOODS

This table shows the nutrient content of potatoes next to other major staple foods, each one measured in its respective raw state, even though staple foods are not commonly eaten raw and are usually sprouted or cooked before eating. In sprouted and cooked form, the relative nutritional and anti-nutritional contents of each of these grains (or other foods) may be different from the values in this table. Each nutrient (every row) has the highest number highlighted to show the staple food with the greatest amount in a 100-gram raw portion.

 

TOXICITY

Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Solanine is found in other plants in the same family, Solanaceae, which includes such plants as deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), as well as the food plants eggplant and tomato. These compounds, which protect the potato plant from its predators, are generally concentrated in its leaves, flowers, sprouts, and fruits (in contrast to the tubers). In a summary of several studies, the glycoalkaloid content was highest in the flowers and sprouts and lowest in the tuber flesh. (The glycoalkaloid content was, in order from highest to lowest: flowers, sprouts, leaves, skin, roots, berries, peel [skin plus outer cortex of tuber flesh], stems, and tuber flesh.)

 

Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber. Cooking at high temperatures—over 170 °C—partly destroys these compounds. The concentration of glycoalkaloids in wild potatoes is sufficient to produce toxic effects in humans. Glycoalkaloid poisoning may cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps, and, in severe cases, coma and death. However, poisoning from cultivated potato varieties is very rare. Light exposure causes greening from chlorophyll synthesis, giving a visual clue as to which areas of the tuber may have become more toxic. However, this does not provide a definitive guide, as greening and glycoalkaloid accumulation can occur independently of each other.

 

Different potato varieties contain different levels of glycoalkaloids. The Lenape variety was released in 1967 but was withdrawn in 1970 as it contained high levels of glycoalkaloids. Since then, breeders developing new varieties test for this, and sometimes have to discard an otherwise promising cultivar. Breeders try to keep glycoalkaloid levels below 200 mg/kg). However, when these commercial varieties turn green, they can still approach solanine concentrations of 1000 mg/kg. In normal potatoes, analysis has shown solanine levels may be as little as 3.5% of the breeders' maximum, with 7–187 mg/kg being found. While a normal potato tuber has 12–20 mg/kg of glycoalkaloid content, a green potato tuber contains 250–280 mg/kg and its skin has 1500–2200 mg/kg.

 

GROWTH AND CULTIVATION

SEED POTATOES

Potatoes are generally grown from seed potatoes, tubers specifically grown to be free from disease and to provide consistent and healthy plants. To be disease free, the areas where seed potatoes are grown are selected with care. In the US, this restricts production of seed potatoes to only 15 states out of all 50 states where potatoes are grown. These locations are selected for their cold, hard winters that kill pests and summers with long sunshine hours for optimum growth. In the UK, most seed potatoes originate in Scotland, in areas where westerly winds prevent aphid attack and thus prevent spread of potato virus pathogens.

 

PHASES OF GROWTH

Potato growth is divided into five phases. During the first phase, sprouts emerge from the seed potatoes and root growth begins. During the second, photosynthesis begins as the plant develops leaves and branches. In the third phase, stolons develop from lower leaf axils on the stem and grow downwards into the ground and on these stolons new tubers develop as swellings of the stolon. This phase is often, but not always, associated with flowering. Tuber formation halts when soil temperatures reach 27 °C; hence potatoes are considered a cool-season, or winter, crop. Tuber bulking occurs during the fourth phase, when the plant begins investing the majority of its resources in its newly formed tubers. At this phase, several factors are critical to a good yield: optimal soil moisture and temperature, soil nutrient availability and balance, and resistance to pest attacks. The fifth and final phase is the maturation of the tubers: the plant canopy dies back, the tuber skins harden, and the sugars in the tubers convert to starches.

 

CHALLENGES

New tubers may start growing at the surface of the soil. Since exposure to light leads to an undesirable greening of the skins and the development of solanine as a protection from the sun's rays, growers cover surface tubers. Commercial growers cover them by piling additional soil around the base of the plant as it grows (called "hilling" up, or in British English "earthing up"). An alternative method, used by home gardeners and smaller-scale growers, involves covering the growing area with organic mulches such as straw or plastic sheets.

 

Correct potato husbandry can be an arduous task in some circumstances. Good ground preparation, harrowing, plowing, and rolling are always needed, along with a little grace from the weather and a good source of water. Three successive plowings, with associated harrowing and rolling, are desirable before planting. Eliminating all root-weeds is desirable in potato cultivation. In general, the potatoes themselves are grown from the eyes of another potato and not from seed. Home gardeners often plant a piece of potato with two or three eyes in a hill of mounded soil. Commercial growers plant potatoes as a row crop using seed tubers, young plants or microtubers and may mound the entire row. Seed potato crops are rogued in some countries to eliminate diseased plants or those of a different variety from the seed crop.

 

Potatoes are sensitive to heavy frosts, which damage them in the ground. Even cold weather makes potatoes more susceptible to bruising and possibly later rotting, which can quickly ruin a large stored crop.

 

PESTS

The historically significant Phytophthora infestans (late blight) remains an ongoing problem in Europe and the United States. Other potato diseases include Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, black leg, powdery mildew, powdery scab and leafroll virus.

 

Insects that commonly transmit potato diseases or damage the plants include the Colorado potato beetle, the potato tuber moth, the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), the potato aphid, beet leafhoppers, thrips, and mites. The potato cyst nematode is a microscopic worm that thrives on the roots, thus causing the potato plants to wilt. Since its eggs can survive in the soil for several years, crop rotation is recommended.

 

During the crop year 2008, many of the certified organic potatoes produced in the United Kingdom and certified by the Soil Association as organic were sprayed with a copper pesticide to control potato blight (Phytophthora infestans). According to the Soil Association, the total copper that can be applied to organic land is 6 kg/ha/year.

 

According to an Environmental Working Group analysis of USDA and FDA pesticide residue tests performed from 2000 through 2008, 84% of the 2,216 tested potato samples contained detectable traces of at least one pesticide. A total of 36 unique pesticides were detected on potatoes over the 2,216 samples, though no individual sample contained more than 6 unique pesticide traces, and the average was 1.29 detectable unique pesticide traces per sample. The average quantity of all pesticide traces found in the 2,216 samples was 1.602 ppm. While this was a very low value of pesticide residue, it was the highest amongst the 50 vegetables analyzed.

 

HARVEST

At harvest time, gardeners usually dig up potatoes with a long-handled, three-prong "grape" (or graip), i.e., a spading fork, or a potato hook, which is similar to the graip but with tines at a 90° angle to the handle. In larger plots, the plow is the fastest implement for unearthing potatoes. Commercial harvesting is typically done with large potato harvesters, which scoop up the plant and surrounding earth. This is transported up an apron chain consisting of steel links several feet wide, which separates some of the dirt. The chain deposits into an area where further separation occurs. Different designs use different systems at this point. The most complex designs use vine choppers and shakers, along with a blower system to separate the potatoes from the plant. The result is then usually run past workers who continue to sort out plant material, stones, and rotten potatoes before the potatoes are continuously delivered to a wagon or truck. Further inspection and separation occurs when the potatoes are unloaded from the field vehicles and put into storage.

 

Immature potatoes may be sold as "creamer potatoes" and are particularly valued for taste. These are often harvested by the home gardener or farmer by "grabbling", i.e. pulling out the young tubers by hand while leaving the plant in place. A creamer potato is a variety of potato harvested before it matures to keep it small and tender. It is generally either a Yukon Gold potato or a red potato, called gold creamers or red creamers respectively, and measures approximately 2.5 cm in diameter. The skin of creamer potatoes is waxy and high in moisture content, and the flesh contains a lower level of starch than other potatoes. Like potatoes in general, they can be prepared by boiling, baking, frying, and roasting. Slightly older than creamer potatoes are "new potatoes", which are also prized for their taste and texture and often come from the same varieties.

 

Potatoes are usually cured after harvest to improve skin-set. Skin-set is the process by which the skin of the potato becomes resistant to skinning damage. Potato tubers may be susceptible to skinning at harvest and suffer skinning damage during harvest and handling operations. Curing allows the skin to fully set and any wounds to heal. Wound-healing prevents infection and water-loss from the tubers during storage. Curing is normally done at relatively warm temperatures 10 to 16 °C with high humidity and good gas-exchange if at all possible.

 

STORAGE

Storage facilities need to be carefully designed to keep the potatoes alive and slow the natural process of decomposition, which involves the breakdown of starch. It is crucial that the storage area is dark, ventilated well and, for long-term storage, maintained at temperatures near 4 °C. For short-term storage, temperatures of about 7 to 10 °C are preferred.

 

On the other hand, temperatures below 4 °C convert the starch in potatoes into sugar, which alters their taste and cooking qualities and leads to higher acrylamide levels in the cooked product, especially in deep-fried dishes. The discovery of acrylamides in starchy foods in 2002 has led to international health concerns. They are believed to be probable carcinogens and their occurrence in cooked foods is being studied for potentially influencing health problems.

 

Under optimum conditions in commercial warehouses, potatoes can be stored for up to 10–12 months. The commercial storage and retrieval of potatoes involves several phases: first drying surface moisture; wound healing at 85% to 95% relative humidity and temperatures below 25 °C; a staged cooling phase; a holding phase; and a reconditioning phase, during which the tubers are slowly warmed. Mechanical ventilation is used at various points during the process to prevent condensation and the accumulation of carbon dioxide.

 

When stored in homes unrefrigerated, the shelf life is usually a few weeks.

 

If potatoes develop green areas or start to sprout, trimming or peeling those green-colored parts is inadequate to remove copresent toxins, and such potatoes are no longer edible.

 

YIELD

The world dedicated 18.6 million ha in 2010 for potato cultivation. The average world farm yield for potato was 17.4 tonnes per hectare, in 2010. Potato farms in the United States were the most productive in 2010, with a nationwide average of 44.3 tonnes per hectare. United Kingdom was a close second.

 

New Zealand farmers have demonstrated some of the best commercial yields in the world, ranging between 60 and 80 tonnes per hectare, some reporting yields of 88 tonnes potatoes per hectare.

 

There is a big gap among various countries between high and low yields, even with the same variety of potato. Average potato yields in developed economies ranges between 38–44 tonnes per hectare. China and India accounted for over a third of world's production in 2010, and had yields of 14.7 and 19.9 tonnes per hectare respectively. The yield gap between farms in developing economies and developed economies represents an opportunity loss of over 400 million tonnes of potato, or an amount greater than 2010 world potato production. Potato crop yields are determined by factors such as the crop breed, seed age and quality, crop management practices and the plant environment. Improvements in one or more of these yield determinants, and a closure of the yield gap, can be a major boost to food supply and farmer incomes in the developing world.

 

USES

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to swell the starch granules. Most potato dishes are served hot but some are first cooked, then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips (crisps). Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes. Unlike many foods, potatoes can also be easily cooked in a microwave oven and still retain nearly all of their nutritional value, provided they are covered in ventilated plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping; this method produces a meal very similar to a steamed potato, while retaining the appearance of a conventionally baked potato. Potato chunks also commonly appear as a stew ingredient. Potatoes are boiled between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on size and type, to become soft.

 

OTHER THAN FOR EATING

Potatoes are also used for purposes other than eating by humans, for example:

 

Potatoes are used to brew alcoholic beverages such as vodka, poitín, or akvavit.

They are also used as fodder for livestock. Livestock-grade potatoes, considered too small and/or blemished to sell or market for human use but suitable for fodder use, have been called chats in some dialects. They may be stored in bins until use; they are sometimes ensiled. Some farmers prefer to steam them rather than feed them raw and are equipped to do so efficiently.

Potato starch is used in the food industry as a thickener and binder for soups and sauces, in the textile industry as an adhesive, and for the manufacturing of papers and boards.

Maine companies are exploring the possibilities of using waste potatoes to obtain polylactic acid for use in plastic products; other research projects seek ways to use the starch as a base for biodegradable packaging.

Potato skins, along with honey, are a folk remedy for burns in India. Burn centres in India have experimented with the use of the thin outer skin layer to protect burns while healing.

Potatoes (mainly Russets) are commonly used in plant research. The consistent parenchyma tissue, the clonal nature of the plant and the low metabolic activity provide a very nice "model tissue" for experimentation. Wound-response studies are often done on potato tuber tissue, as are electron transport experiments. In this respect, potato tuber tissue is similar to Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans and Escherichia coli: they are all "standard" research organisms.

Potatoes have been delivered with personalized messages as a novelty. Potato delivery services include Potato Parcel and Mail A Spud.

 

WIKIPEDIA

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. In many contexts, potato refers to the edible tuber, but it can also refer to the plant itself. Common or slang terms include tater, tattie and spud. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Today they are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world's fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice.

 

Wild potato species can be found throughout the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile. The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated independently in multiple locations, but later genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species traced a single origin for potatoes. In the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia, from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex, potatoes were domesticated approximately 7,000–10,000 years ago. In the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultivated.

 

Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 1,000 different types of potatoes. Over 99% of presently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile, which have displaced formerly popular varieties from the Andes.

 

The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary ingredient varies by region and is still changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe, especially eastern and central Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world in overall production as of 2014.

 

Being a nightshade similar to tomatoes, the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine and are not fit for human consumption. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in amounts small enough to be negligible to human health, but if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to affect human health.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The English word potato comes from Spanish patata (the name used in Spain). The Spanish Royal Academy says the Spanish word is a hybrid of the Taíno batata (sweet potato) and the Quechua papa (potato). The name originally referred to the sweet potato although the two plants are not closely related. The 16th-century English herbalist John Gerard referred to sweet potatoes as "common potatoes", and used the terms "bastard potatoes" and "Virginia potatoes" for the species we now call "potato". In many of the chronicles detailing agriculture and plants, no distinction is made between the two. Potatoes are occasionally referred to as "Irish potatoes" or "white potatoes" in the United States, to distinguish them from sweet potatoes.

 

The name spud for a small potato comes from the digging of soil (or a hole) prior to the planting of potatoes. The word has an unknown origin and was originally (c. 1440) used as a term for a short knife or dagger, probably related to the Latin "spad-" a word root meaning "sword"; cf. Spanish "espada", English "spade" and "spadroon". It subsequently transferred over to a variety of digging tools. Around 1845, the name transferred to the tuber itself, the first record of this usage being in New Zealand English. The origin of the word "spud" has erroneously been attributed to an 18th-century activist group dedicated to keeping the potato out of Britain, calling itself The Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet (S.P.U.D.). It was Mario Pei's 1949 The Story of Language that can be blamed for the word's false origin. Pei writes, "the potato, for its part, was in disrepute some centuries ago. Some Englishmen who did not fancy potatoes formed a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet. The initials of the main words in this title gave rise to spud." Like most other pre-20th century acronymic origins, this is false, and there is no evidence that a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet ever existed.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Potato plants are herbaceous perennials that grow about 60 cm high, depending on variety, with the leaves dying back after flowering, fruiting and tuber formation. They bear white, pink, red, blue, or purple flowers with yellow stamens. In general, the tubers of varieties with white flowers have white skins, while those of varieties with colored flowers tend to have pinkish skins. Potatoes are mostly cross-pollinated by insects such as bumblebees, which carry pollen from other potato plants, though a substantial amount of self-fertilizing occurs as well. Tubers form in response to decreasing day length, although this tendency has been minimized in commercial varieties.

 

After flowering, potato plants produce small green fruits that resemble green cherry tomatoes, each containing about 300 seeds. Like all parts of the plant except the tubers, the fruit contain the toxic alkaloid solanine and are therefore unsuitable for consumption. All new potato varieties are grown from seeds, also called "true potato seed", "TPS" or "botanical seed" to distinguish it from seed tubers. New varieties grown from seed can be propagated vegetatively by planting tubers, pieces of tubers cut to include at least one or two eyes, or cuttings, a practice used in greenhouses for the production of healthy seed tubers. Plants propagated from tubers are clones of the parent, whereas those propagated from seed produce a range of different varieties.

 

GENETICS

There are about 5,000 potato varieties worldwide. Three thousand of them are found in the Andes alone, mainly in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia. They belong to eight or nine species, depending on the taxonomic school. Apart from the 5,000 cultivated varieties, there are about 200 wild species and subspecies, many of which can be cross-bred with cultivated varieties. Cross-breeding has been done repeatedly to transfer resistances to certain pests and diseases from the gene pool of wild species to the gene pool of cultivated potato species. Genetically modified varieties have met public resistance in the United States and in the European UnionThe major species grown worldwide is Solanum tuberosum (a tetraploid with 48 chromosomes), and modern varieties of this species are the most widely cultivated. There are also four diploid species (with 24 chromosomes): S. stenotomum, S. phureja, S. goniocalyx, and S. ajanhuiri. There are two triploid species (with 36 chromosomes): S. chaucha and S. juzepczukii. There is one pentaploid cultivated species (with 60 chromosomes): S. curtilobum. There are two major subspecies of Solanum tuberosum: andigena, or Andean; and tuberosum, or Chilean. The Andean potato is adapted to the short-day conditions prevalent in the mountainous equatorial and tropical regions where it originated; the Chilean potato, however, native to the Chiloé Archipelago, is adapted to the long-day conditions prevalent in the higher latitude region of southern Chile.

 

The International Potato Center, based in Lima, Peru, holds an ISO-accredited collection of potato germplasm. The international Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium announced in 2009 that they had achieved a draft sequence of the potato genome. The potato genome contains 12 chromosomes and 860 million base pairs, making it a medium-sized plant genome. More than 99 percent of all current varieties of potatoes currently grown are direct descendants of a subspecies that once grew in the lowlands of south-central Chile. Nonetheless, genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species affirms that all potato subspecies derive from a single origin in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme Northwestern Bolivia (from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex). The wild Crop Wild Relatives Prebreeding project encourages the use of wild relatives in breeding programs. Enriching and preserving the gene bank collection to make potatoes adaptive to diverse environmental conditions is seen as a pressing issue due to climate change.

 

Most modern potatoes grown in North America arrived through European settlement and not independently from the South American sources, although at least one wild potato species, Solanum fendleri, naturally ranges from Peru into Texas, where it is used in breeding for resistance to a nematode species that attacks cultivated potatoes. A secondary center of genetic variability of the potato is Mexico, where important wild species that have been used extensively in modern breeding are found, such as the hexaploid Solanum demissum, as a source of resistance to the devastating late blight disease. Another relative native to this region, Solanum bulbocastanum, has been used to genetically engineer the potato to resist potato blight.

 

Potatoes yield abundantly with little effort, and adapt readily to diverse climates as long as the climate is cool and moist enough for the plants to gather sufficient water from the soil to form the starchy tubers. Potatoes do not keep very well in storage and are vulnerable to moulds that feed on the stored tubers and quickly turn them rotten, whereas crops such as grain can be stored for several years with a low risk of rot. The yield of Calories per acre (about 9.2 million) is higher than that of maize (7.5 million), rice (7.4 million), wheat (3 million), or soybean (2.8 million).

 

VARIETIES

There are close to 4,000 varieties of potato including common commercial varieties, each of which has specific agricultural or culinary attributes. Around 80 varieties are commercially available in the UK. In general, varieties are categorized into a few main groups based on common characteristics, such as russet potatoes (rough brown skin), red potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes (also called Yukon potatoes) and purple potatoes.

 

For culinary purposes, varieties are often differentiated by their waxiness: floury or mealy baking potatoes have more starch (20–22%) than waxy boiling potatoes (16–18%). The distinction may also arise from variation in the comparative ratio of two different potato starch compounds: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose, a long-chain molecule, diffuses from the starch granule when cooked in water, and lends itself to dishes where the potato is mashed. Varieties that contain a slightly higher amylopectin content, which is a highly branched molecule, help the potato retain its shape after being boiled in water. Potatoes that are good for making potato chips or potato crisps are sometimes called "chipping potatoes", which means they meet the basic requirements of similar varietal characteristics, being firm, fairly clean, and fairly well-shaped.

 

The European Cultivated Potato Database (ECPD) is an online collaborative database of potato variety descriptions that is updated and maintained by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency within the framework of the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR)—which is run by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).

 

PIGMENTATION

Dozens of potato cultivars have been selectively bred specifically for their skin or, more commonly, flesh color, including gold, red, and blue varieties that contain varying amounts of phytochemicals, including carotenoids for gold/yellow or polyphenols for red or blue cultivars. Carotenoid compounds include provitamin A alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, which are converted to the essential nutrient, vitamin A, during digestion. Anthocyanins mainly responsible for red or blue pigmentation in potato cultivars do not have nutritional significance, but are used for visual variety and consumer appeal. Recently, as of 2010, potatoes have also been bioengineered specifically for these pigmentation traits.

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED POTATOES

Genetic research has produced several genetically modified varieties. 'New Leaf', owned by Monsanto Company, incorporates genes from Bacillus thuringiensis, which confers resistance to the Colorado potato beetle; 'New Leaf Plus' and 'New Leaf Y', approved by US regulatory agencies during the 1990s, also include resistance to viruses. McDonald's, Burger King, Frito-Lay, and Procter & Gamble announced they would not use genetically modified potatoes, and Monsanto published its intent to discontinue the line in March 2001.

 

Waxy potato varieties produce two main kinds of potato starch, amylose and amylopectin, the latter of which is most industrially useful. BASF developed the Amflora potato, which was modified to express antisense RNA to inactivate the gene for granule bound starch synthase, an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of amylose. Amflora potatoes therefore produce starch consisting almost entirely of amylopectin, and are thus more useful for the starch industry. In 2010, the European Commission cleared the way for 'Amflora' to be grown in the European Union for industrial purposes only—not for food. Nevertheless, under EU rules, individual countries have the right to decide whether they will allow this potato to be grown on their territory. Commercial planting of 'Amflora' was expected in the Czech Republic and Germany in the spring of 2010, and Sweden and the Netherlands in subsequent years. Another GM potato variety developed by BASF is 'Fortuna' which was made resistant to late blight by adding two resistance genes, blb1 and blb2, which originate from the Mexican wild potato Solanum bulbocastanum. In October 2011 BASF requested cultivation and marketing approval as a feed and food from the EFSA. In 2012, GMO development in Europe was stopped by BASF.

 

In November 2014, the USDA approved a genetically modified potato developed by J.R. Simplot Company, which contains genetic modifications that prevent bruising and produce less acrylamide when fried than conventional potatoes; the modifications do not cause new proteins to be made, but rather prevent proteins from being made via RNA interference.

 

HISTORY

The potato was first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BC. It has since spread around the world and become a staple crop in many countries.

 

The earliest archaeologically verified potato tuber remains have been found at the coastal site of Ancon (central Peru), dating to 2500 BC. The most widely cultivated variety, Solanum tuberosum tuberosum, is indigenous to the Chiloé Archipelago, and has been cultivated by the local indigenous people since before the Spanish conquest.

 

According to conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato was responsible for a quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. In the Altiplano, potatoes provided the principal energy source for the Inca civilization, its predecessors, and its Spanish successor. Following the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century, part of the Columbian exchange. The staple was subsequently conveyed by European mariners to territories and ports throughout the world. The potato was slow to be adopted by European farmers, but soon enough it became an important food staple and field crop that played a major role in the European 19th century population boom. However, lack of genetic diversity, due to the very limited number of varieties initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a plant disease known as late blight, caused by the fungus-like oomycete Phytophthora infestans, spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland as well as parts of the Scottish Highlands, resulting in the crop failures that led to the Great Irish Famine. Thousands of varieties still persist in the Andes however, where over 100 cultivars might be found in a single valley, and a dozen or more might be maintained by a single agricultural household.

 

PRODUCTION

In 2016, world production of potatoes was 377 million tonnes, led by China with over 26% of the world total (see table). Other major producers were India, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. It remains an essential crop in Europe (especially eastern and central Europe), where per capita production is still the highest in the world, but the most rapid expansion over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia.

 

NUTRITION

A raw potato is 79% water, 17% carbohydrates (88% is starch), 2% protein, and contains negligible fat (see table). In an amount measuring 100 grams, raw potato provides 322 kilojoules (77 kilocalories) of energy and is a rich source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C (23% and 24% of the Daily Value, respectively), with no other vitamins or minerals in significant amount (see table). The potato is rarely eaten raw because raw potato starch is poorly digested by humans. When a potato is baked, its contents of vitamin B6 and vitamin C decline notably, while there is little significant change in the amount of other nutrients.

 

Potatoes are often broadly classified as having a high glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a low-GI diet. The GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on the cultivar or cultivar category (such as "red", russet, "white", or King Edward), growing conditions and storage, preparation methods (by cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole), and accompanying foods consumed (especially the addition of various high-fat or high-protein toppings). In particular, consuming reheated or cooled potatoes that were previously cooked may yield a lower GI effect.

 

In the UK, potatoes are not considered by the National Health Service (NHS) as counting or contributing towards the recommended daily five portions of fruit and vegetables, the 5-A-Day program.

 

COMPARISON TO OTHER STAPLE FOODS

This table shows the nutrient content of potatoes next to other major staple foods, each one measured in its respective raw state, even though staple foods are not commonly eaten raw and are usually sprouted or cooked before eating. In sprouted and cooked form, the relative nutritional and anti-nutritional contents of each of these grains (or other foods) may be different from the values in this table. Each nutrient (every row) has the highest number highlighted to show the staple food with the greatest amount in a 100-gram raw portion.

 

TOXICITY

Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Solanine is found in other plants in the same family, Solanaceae, which includes such plants as deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), as well as the food plants eggplant and tomato. These compounds, which protect the potato plant from its predators, are generally concentrated in its leaves, flowers, sprouts, and fruits (in contrast to the tubers). In a summary of several studies, the glycoalkaloid content was highest in the flowers and sprouts and lowest in the tuber flesh. (The glycoalkaloid content was, in order from highest to lowest: flowers, sprouts, leaves, skin, roots, berries, peel [skin plus outer cortex of tuber flesh], stems, and tuber flesh.)

 

Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber. Cooking at high temperatures—over 170 °C—partly destroys these compounds. The concentration of glycoalkaloids in wild potatoes is sufficient to produce toxic effects in humans. Glycoalkaloid poisoning may cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps, and, in severe cases, coma and death. However, poisoning from cultivated potato varieties is very rare. Light exposure causes greening from chlorophyll synthesis, giving a visual clue as to which areas of the tuber may have become more toxic. However, this does not provide a definitive guide, as greening and glycoalkaloid accumulation can occur independently of each other.

 

Different potato varieties contain different levels of glycoalkaloids. The Lenape variety was released in 1967 but was withdrawn in 1970 as it contained high levels of glycoalkaloids. Since then, breeders developing new varieties test for this, and sometimes have to discard an otherwise promising cultivar. Breeders try to keep glycoalkaloid levels below 200 mg/kg). However, when these commercial varieties turn green, they can still approach solanine concentrations of 1000 mg/kg. In normal potatoes, analysis has shown solanine levels may be as little as 3.5% of the breeders' maximum, with 7–187 mg/kg being found. While a normal potato tuber has 12–20 mg/kg of glycoalkaloid content, a green potato tuber contains 250–280 mg/kg and its skin has 1500–2200 mg/kg.

 

GROWTH AND CULTIVATION

SEED POTATOES

Potatoes are generally grown from seed potatoes, tubers specifically grown to be free from disease and to provide consistent and healthy plants. To be disease free, the areas where seed potatoes are grown are selected with care. In the US, this restricts production of seed potatoes to only 15 states out of all 50 states where potatoes are grown. These locations are selected for their cold, hard winters that kill pests and summers with long sunshine hours for optimum growth. In the UK, most seed potatoes originate in Scotland, in areas where westerly winds prevent aphid attack and thus prevent spread of potato virus pathogens.

 

PHASES OF GROWTH

Potato growth is divided into five phases. During the first phase, sprouts emerge from the seed potatoes and root growth begins. During the second, photosynthesis begins as the plant develops leaves and branches. In the third phase, stolons develop from lower leaf axils on the stem and grow downwards into the ground and on these stolons new tubers develop as swellings of the stolon. This phase is often, but not always, associated with flowering. Tuber formation halts when soil temperatures reach 27 °C; hence potatoes are considered a cool-season, or winter, crop. Tuber bulking occurs during the fourth phase, when the plant begins investing the majority of its resources in its newly formed tubers. At this phase, several factors are critical to a good yield: optimal soil moisture and temperature, soil nutrient availability and balance, and resistance to pest attacks. The fifth and final phase is the maturation of the tubers: the plant canopy dies back, the tuber skins harden, and the sugars in the tubers convert to starches.

 

CHALLENGES

New tubers may start growing at the surface of the soil. Since exposure to light leads to an undesirable greening of the skins and the development of solanine as a protection from the sun's rays, growers cover surface tubers. Commercial growers cover them by piling additional soil around the base of the plant as it grows (called "hilling" up, or in British English "earthing up"). An alternative method, used by home gardeners and smaller-scale growers, involves covering the growing area with organic mulches such as straw or plastic sheets.

 

Correct potato husbandry can be an arduous task in some circumstances. Good ground preparation, harrowing, plowing, and rolling are always needed, along with a little grace from the weather and a good source of water. Three successive plowings, with associated harrowing and rolling, are desirable before planting. Eliminating all root-weeds is desirable in potato cultivation. In general, the potatoes themselves are grown from the eyes of another potato and not from seed. Home gardeners often plant a piece of potato with two or three eyes in a hill of mounded soil. Commercial growers plant potatoes as a row crop using seed tubers, young plants or microtubers and may mound the entire row. Seed potato crops are rogued in some countries to eliminate diseased plants or those of a different variety from the seed crop.

 

Potatoes are sensitive to heavy frosts, which damage them in the ground. Even cold weather makes potatoes more susceptible to bruising and possibly later rotting, which can quickly ruin a large stored crop.

 

PESTS

The historically significant Phytophthora infestans (late blight) remains an ongoing problem in Europe and the United States. Other potato diseases include Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, black leg, powdery mildew, powdery scab and leafroll virus.

 

Insects that commonly transmit potato diseases or damage the plants include the Colorado potato beetle, the potato tuber moth, the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), the potato aphid, beet leafhoppers, thrips, and mites. The potato cyst nematode is a microscopic worm that thrives on the roots, thus causing the potato plants to wilt. Since its eggs can survive in the soil for several years, crop rotation is recommended.

 

During the crop year 2008, many of the certified organic potatoes produced in the United Kingdom and certified by the Soil Association as organic were sprayed with a copper pesticide to control potato blight (Phytophthora infestans). According to the Soil Association, the total copper that can be applied to organic land is 6 kg/ha/year.

 

According to an Environmental Working Group analysis of USDA and FDA pesticide residue tests performed from 2000 through 2008, 84% of the 2,216 tested potato samples contained detectable traces of at least one pesticide. A total of 36 unique pesticides were detected on potatoes over the 2,216 samples, though no individual sample contained more than 6 unique pesticide traces, and the average was 1.29 detectable unique pesticide traces per sample. The average quantity of all pesticide traces found in the 2,216 samples was 1.602 ppm. While this was a very low value of pesticide residue, it was the highest amongst the 50 vegetables analyzed.

 

HARVEST

At harvest time, gardeners usually dig up potatoes with a long-handled, three-prong "grape" (or graip), i.e., a spading fork, or a potato hook, which is similar to the graip but with tines at a 90° angle to the handle. In larger plots, the plow is the fastest implement for unearthing potatoes. Commercial harvesting is typically done with large potato harvesters, which scoop up the plant and surrounding earth. This is transported up an apron chain consisting of steel links several feet wide, which separates some of the dirt. The chain deposits into an area where further separation occurs. Different designs use different systems at this point. The most complex designs use vine choppers and shakers, along with a blower system to separate the potatoes from the plant. The result is then usually run past workers who continue to sort out plant material, stones, and rotten potatoes before the potatoes are continuously delivered to a wagon or truck. Further inspection and separation occurs when the potatoes are unloaded from the field vehicles and put into storage.

 

Immature potatoes may be sold as "creamer potatoes" and are particularly valued for taste. These are often harvested by the home gardener or farmer by "grabbling", i.e. pulling out the young tubers by hand while leaving the plant in place. A creamer potato is a variety of potato harvested before it matures to keep it small and tender. It is generally either a Yukon Gold potato or a red potato, called gold creamers or red creamers respectively, and measures approximately 2.5 cm in diameter. The skin of creamer potatoes is waxy and high in moisture content, and the flesh contains a lower level of starch than other potatoes. Like potatoes in general, they can be prepared by boiling, baking, frying, and roasting. Slightly older than creamer potatoes are "new potatoes", which are also prized for their taste and texture and often come from the same varieties.

 

Potatoes are usually cured after harvest to improve skin-set. Skin-set is the process by which the skin of the potato becomes resistant to skinning damage. Potato tubers may be susceptible to skinning at harvest and suffer skinning damage during harvest and handling operations. Curing allows the skin to fully set and any wounds to heal. Wound-healing prevents infection and water-loss from the tubers during storage. Curing is normally done at relatively warm temperatures 10 to 16 °C with high humidity and good gas-exchange if at all possible.

 

STORAGE

Storage facilities need to be carefully designed to keep the potatoes alive and slow the natural process of decomposition, which involves the breakdown of starch. It is crucial that the storage area is dark, ventilated well and, for long-term storage, maintained at temperatures near 4 °C. For short-term storage, temperatures of about 7 to 10 °C are preferred.

 

On the other hand, temperatures below 4 °C convert the starch in potatoes into sugar, which alters their taste and cooking qualities and leads to higher acrylamide levels in the cooked product, especially in deep-fried dishes. The discovery of acrylamides in starchy foods in 2002 has led to international health concerns. They are believed to be probable carcinogens and their occurrence in cooked foods is being studied for potentially influencing health problems.

 

Under optimum conditions in commercial warehouses, potatoes can be stored for up to 10–12 months. The commercial storage and retrieval of potatoes involves several phases: first drying surface moisture; wound healing at 85% to 95% relative humidity and temperatures below 25 °C; a staged cooling phase; a holding phase; and a reconditioning phase, during which the tubers are slowly warmed. Mechanical ventilation is used at various points during the process to prevent condensation and the accumulation of carbon dioxide.

 

When stored in homes unrefrigerated, the shelf life is usually a few weeks.

 

If potatoes develop green areas or start to sprout, trimming or peeling those green-colored parts is inadequate to remove copresent toxins, and such potatoes are no longer edible.

 

YIELD

The world dedicated 18.6 million ha in 2010 for potato cultivation. The average world farm yield for potato was 17.4 tonnes per hectare, in 2010. Potato farms in the United States were the most productive in 2010, with a nationwide average of 44.3 tonnes per hectare. United Kingdom was a close second.

 

New Zealand farmers have demonstrated some of the best commercial yields in the world, ranging between 60 and 80 tonnes per hectare, some reporting yields of 88 tonnes potatoes per hectare.

 

There is a big gap among various countries between high and low yields, even with the same variety of potato. Average potato yields in developed economies ranges between 38–44 tonnes per hectare. China and India accounted for over a third of world's production in 2010, and had yields of 14.7 and 19.9 tonnes per hectare respectively. The yield gap between farms in developing economies and developed economies represents an opportunity loss of over 400 million tonnes of potato, or an amount greater than 2010 world potato production. Potato crop yields are determined by factors such as the crop breed, seed age and quality, crop management practices and the plant environment. Improvements in one or more of these yield determinants, and a closure of the yield gap, can be a major boost to food supply and farmer incomes in the developing world.

 

USES

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to swell the starch granules. Most potato dishes are served hot but some are first cooked, then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips (crisps). Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes. Unlike many foods, potatoes can also be easily cooked in a microwave oven and still retain nearly all of their nutritional value, provided they are covered in ventilated plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping; this method produces a meal very similar to a steamed potato, while retaining the appearance of a conventionally baked potato. Potato chunks also commonly appear as a stew ingredient. Potatoes are boiled between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on size and type, to become soft.

 

OTHER THAN FOR EATING

Potatoes are also used for purposes other than eating by humans, for example:

 

Potatoes are used to brew alcoholic beverages such as vodka, poitín, or akvavit.

They are also used as fodder for livestock. Livestock-grade potatoes, considered too small and/or blemished to sell or market for human use but suitable for fodder use, have been called chats in some dialects. They may be stored in bins until use; they are sometimes ensiled. Some farmers prefer to steam them rather than feed them raw and are equipped to do so efficiently.

Potato starch is used in the food industry as a thickener and binder for soups and sauces, in the textile industry as an adhesive, and for the manufacturing of papers and boards.

Maine companies are exploring the possibilities of using waste potatoes to obtain polylactic acid for use in plastic products; other research projects seek ways to use the starch as a base for biodegradable packaging.

Potato skins, along with honey, are a folk remedy for burns in India. Burn centres in India have experimented with the use of the thin outer skin layer to protect burns while healing.

Potatoes (mainly Russets) are commonly used in plant research. The consistent parenchyma tissue, the clonal nature of the plant and the low metabolic activity provide a very nice "model tissue" for experimentation. Wound-response studies are often done on potato tuber tissue, as are electron transport experiments. In this respect, potato tuber tissue is similar to Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans and Escherichia coli: they are all "standard" research organisms.

Potatoes have been delivered with personalized messages as a novelty. Potato delivery services include Potato Parcel and Mail A Spud.

 

WIKIPEDIA

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. In many contexts, potato refers to the edible tuber, but it can also refer to the plant itself. Common or slang terms include tater, tattie and spud. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Today they are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world's fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice.

 

Wild potato species can be found throughout the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile. The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated independently in multiple locations, but later genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species traced a single origin for potatoes. In the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia, from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex, potatoes were domesticated approximately 7,000–10,000 years ago. In the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultivated.

 

Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 1,000 different types of potatoes. Over 99% of presently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile, which have displaced formerly popular varieties from the Andes.

 

The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary ingredient varies by region and is still changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe, especially eastern and central Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world in overall production as of 2014.

 

Being a nightshade similar to tomatoes, the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine and are not fit for human consumption. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in amounts small enough to be negligible to human health, but if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to affect human health.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The English word potato comes from Spanish patata (the name used in Spain). The Spanish Royal Academy says the Spanish word is a hybrid of the Taíno batata (sweet potato) and the Quechua papa (potato). The name originally referred to the sweet potato although the two plants are not closely related. The 16th-century English herbalist John Gerard referred to sweet potatoes as "common potatoes", and used the terms "bastard potatoes" and "Virginia potatoes" for the species we now call "potato". In many of the chronicles detailing agriculture and plants, no distinction is made between the two. Potatoes are occasionally referred to as "Irish potatoes" or "white potatoes" in the United States, to distinguish them from sweet potatoes.

 

The name spud for a small potato comes from the digging of soil (or a hole) prior to the planting of potatoes. The word has an unknown origin and was originally (c. 1440) used as a term for a short knife or dagger, probably related to the Latin "spad-" a word root meaning "sword"; cf. Spanish "espada", English "spade" and "spadroon". It subsequently transferred over to a variety of digging tools. Around 1845, the name transferred to the tuber itself, the first record of this usage being in New Zealand English. The origin of the word "spud" has erroneously been attributed to an 18th-century activist group dedicated to keeping the potato out of Britain, calling itself The Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet (S.P.U.D.). It was Mario Pei's 1949 The Story of Language that can be blamed for the word's false origin. Pei writes, "the potato, for its part, was in disrepute some centuries ago. Some Englishmen who did not fancy potatoes formed a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet. The initials of the main words in this title gave rise to spud." Like most other pre-20th century acronymic origins, this is false, and there is no evidence that a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet ever existed.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Potato plants are herbaceous perennials that grow about 60 cm high, depending on variety, with the leaves dying back after flowering, fruiting and tuber formation. They bear white, pink, red, blue, or purple flowers with yellow stamens. In general, the tubers of varieties with white flowers have white skins, while those of varieties with colored flowers tend to have pinkish skins. Potatoes are mostly cross-pollinated by insects such as bumblebees, which carry pollen from other potato plants, though a substantial amount of self-fertilizing occurs as well. Tubers form in response to decreasing day length, although this tendency has been minimized in commercial varieties.

 

After flowering, potato plants produce small green fruits that resemble green cherry tomatoes, each containing about 300 seeds. Like all parts of the plant except the tubers, the fruit contain the toxic alkaloid solanine and are therefore unsuitable for consumption. All new potato varieties are grown from seeds, also called "true potato seed", "TPS" or "botanical seed" to distinguish it from seed tubers. New varieties grown from seed can be propagated vegetatively by planting tubers, pieces of tubers cut to include at least one or two eyes, or cuttings, a practice used in greenhouses for the production of healthy seed tubers. Plants propagated from tubers are clones of the parent, whereas those propagated from seed produce a range of different varieties.

 

GENETICS

There are about 5,000 potato varieties worldwide. Three thousand of them are found in the Andes alone, mainly in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia. They belong to eight or nine species, depending on the taxonomic school. Apart from the 5,000 cultivated varieties, there are about 200 wild species and subspecies, many of which can be cross-bred with cultivated varieties. Cross-breeding has been done repeatedly to transfer resistances to certain pests and diseases from the gene pool of wild species to the gene pool of cultivated potato species. Genetically modified varieties have met public resistance in the United States and in the European UnionThe major species grown worldwide is Solanum tuberosum (a tetraploid with 48 chromosomes), and modern varieties of this species are the most widely cultivated. There are also four diploid species (with 24 chromosomes): S. stenotomum, S. phureja, S. goniocalyx, and S. ajanhuiri. There are two triploid species (with 36 chromosomes): S. chaucha and S. juzepczukii. There is one pentaploid cultivated species (with 60 chromosomes): S. curtilobum. There are two major subspecies of Solanum tuberosum: andigena, or Andean; and tuberosum, or Chilean. The Andean potato is adapted to the short-day conditions prevalent in the mountainous equatorial and tropical regions where it originated; the Chilean potato, however, native to the Chiloé Archipelago, is adapted to the long-day conditions prevalent in the higher latitude region of southern Chile.

 

The International Potato Center, based in Lima, Peru, holds an ISO-accredited collection of potato germplasm. The international Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium announced in 2009 that they had achieved a draft sequence of the potato genome. The potato genome contains 12 chromosomes and 860 million base pairs, making it a medium-sized plant genome. More than 99 percent of all current varieties of potatoes currently grown are direct descendants of a subspecies that once grew in the lowlands of south-central Chile. Nonetheless, genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species affirms that all potato subspecies derive from a single origin in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme Northwestern Bolivia (from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex). The wild Crop Wild Relatives Prebreeding project encourages the use of wild relatives in breeding programs. Enriching and preserving the gene bank collection to make potatoes adaptive to diverse environmental conditions is seen as a pressing issue due to climate change.

 

Most modern potatoes grown in North America arrived through European settlement and not independently from the South American sources, although at least one wild potato species, Solanum fendleri, naturally ranges from Peru into Texas, where it is used in breeding for resistance to a nematode species that attacks cultivated potatoes. A secondary center of genetic variability of the potato is Mexico, where important wild species that have been used extensively in modern breeding are found, such as the hexaploid Solanum demissum, as a source of resistance to the devastating late blight disease. Another relative native to this region, Solanum bulbocastanum, has been used to genetically engineer the potato to resist potato blight.

 

Potatoes yield abundantly with little effort, and adapt readily to diverse climates as long as the climate is cool and moist enough for the plants to gather sufficient water from the soil to form the starchy tubers. Potatoes do not keep very well in storage and are vulnerable to moulds that feed on the stored tubers and quickly turn them rotten, whereas crops such as grain can be stored for several years with a low risk of rot. The yield of Calories per acre (about 9.2 million) is higher than that of maize (7.5 million), rice (7.4 million), wheat (3 million), or soybean (2.8 million).

 

VARIETIES

There are close to 4,000 varieties of potato including common commercial varieties, each of which has specific agricultural or culinary attributes. Around 80 varieties are commercially available in the UK. In general, varieties are categorized into a few main groups based on common characteristics, such as russet potatoes (rough brown skin), red potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes (also called Yukon potatoes) and purple potatoes.

 

For culinary purposes, varieties are often differentiated by their waxiness: floury or mealy baking potatoes have more starch (20–22%) than waxy boiling potatoes (16–18%). The distinction may also arise from variation in the comparative ratio of two different potato starch compounds: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose, a long-chain molecule, diffuses from the starch granule when cooked in water, and lends itself to dishes where the potato is mashed. Varieties that contain a slightly higher amylopectin content, which is a highly branched molecule, help the potato retain its shape after being boiled in water. Potatoes that are good for making potato chips or potato crisps are sometimes called "chipping potatoes", which means they meet the basic requirements of similar varietal characteristics, being firm, fairly clean, and fairly well-shaped.

 

The European Cultivated Potato Database (ECPD) is an online collaborative database of potato variety descriptions that is updated and maintained by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency within the framework of the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR)—which is run by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).

 

PIGMENTATION

Dozens of potato cultivars have been selectively bred specifically for their skin or, more commonly, flesh color, including gold, red, and blue varieties that contain varying amounts of phytochemicals, including carotenoids for gold/yellow or polyphenols for red or blue cultivars. Carotenoid compounds include provitamin A alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, which are converted to the essential nutrient, vitamin A, during digestion. Anthocyanins mainly responsible for red or blue pigmentation in potato cultivars do not have nutritional significance, but are used for visual variety and consumer appeal. Recently, as of 2010, potatoes have also been bioengineered specifically for these pigmentation traits.

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED POTATOES

Genetic research has produced several genetically modified varieties. 'New Leaf', owned by Monsanto Company, incorporates genes from Bacillus thuringiensis, which confers resistance to the Colorado potato beetle; 'New Leaf Plus' and 'New Leaf Y', approved by US regulatory agencies during the 1990s, also include resistance to viruses. McDonald's, Burger King, Frito-Lay, and Procter & Gamble announced they would not use genetically modified potatoes, and Monsanto published its intent to discontinue the line in March 2001.

 

Waxy potato varieties produce two main kinds of potato starch, amylose and amylopectin, the latter of which is most industrially useful. BASF developed the Amflora potato, which was modified to express antisense RNA to inactivate the gene for granule bound starch synthase, an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of amylose. Amflora potatoes therefore produce starch consisting almost entirely of amylopectin, and are thus more useful for the starch industry. In 2010, the European Commission cleared the way for 'Amflora' to be grown in the European Union for industrial purposes only—not for food. Nevertheless, under EU rules, individual countries have the right to decide whether they will allow this potato to be grown on their territory. Commercial planting of 'Amflora' was expected in the Czech Republic and Germany in the spring of 2010, and Sweden and the Netherlands in subsequent years. Another GM potato variety developed by BASF is 'Fortuna' which was made resistant to late blight by adding two resistance genes, blb1 and blb2, which originate from the Mexican wild potato Solanum bulbocastanum. In October 2011 BASF requested cultivation and marketing approval as a feed and food from the EFSA. In 2012, GMO development in Europe was stopped by BASF.

 

In November 2014, the USDA approved a genetically modified potato developed by J.R. Simplot Company, which contains genetic modifications that prevent bruising and produce less acrylamide when fried than conventional potatoes; the modifications do not cause new proteins to be made, but rather prevent proteins from being made via RNA interference.

 

HISTORY

The potato was first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BC. It has since spread around the world and become a staple crop in many countries.

 

The earliest archaeologically verified potato tuber remains have been found at the coastal site of Ancon (central Peru), dating to 2500 BC. The most widely cultivated variety, Solanum tuberosum tuberosum, is indigenous to the Chiloé Archipelago, and has been cultivated by the local indigenous people since before the Spanish conquest.

 

According to conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato was responsible for a quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. In the Altiplano, potatoes provided the principal energy source for the Inca civilization, its predecessors, and its Spanish successor. Following the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century, part of the Columbian exchange. The staple was subsequently conveyed by European mariners to territories and ports throughout the world. The potato was slow to be adopted by European farmers, but soon enough it became an important food staple and field crop that played a major role in the European 19th century population boom. However, lack of genetic diversity, due to the very limited number of varieties initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a plant disease known as late blight, caused by the fungus-like oomycete Phytophthora infestans, spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland as well as parts of the Scottish Highlands, resulting in the crop failures that led to the Great Irish Famine. Thousands of varieties still persist in the Andes however, where over 100 cultivars might be found in a single valley, and a dozen or more might be maintained by a single agricultural household.

 

PRODUCTION

In 2016, world production of potatoes was 377 million tonnes, led by China with over 26% of the world total (see table). Other major producers were India, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. It remains an essential crop in Europe (especially eastern and central Europe), where per capita production is still the highest in the world, but the most rapid expansion over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia.

 

NUTRITION

A raw potato is 79% water, 17% carbohydrates (88% is starch), 2% protein, and contains negligible fat (see table). In an amount measuring 100 grams, raw potato provides 322 kilojoules (77 kilocalories) of energy and is a rich source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C (23% and 24% of the Daily Value, respectively), with no other vitamins or minerals in significant amount (see table). The potato is rarely eaten raw because raw potato starch is poorly digested by humans. When a potato is baked, its contents of vitamin B6 and vitamin C decline notably, while there is little significant change in the amount of other nutrients.

 

Potatoes are often broadly classified as having a high glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a low-GI diet. The GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on the cultivar or cultivar category (such as "red", russet, "white", or King Edward), growing conditions and storage, preparation methods (by cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole), and accompanying foods consumed (especially the addition of various high-fat or high-protein toppings). In particular, consuming reheated or cooled potatoes that were previously cooked may yield a lower GI effect.

 

In the UK, potatoes are not considered by the National Health Service (NHS) as counting or contributing towards the recommended daily five portions of fruit and vegetables, the 5-A-Day program.

 

COMPARISON TO OTHER STAPLE FOODS

This table shows the nutrient content of potatoes next to other major staple foods, each one measured in its respective raw state, even though staple foods are not commonly eaten raw and are usually sprouted or cooked before eating. In sprouted and cooked form, the relative nutritional and anti-nutritional contents of each of these grains (or other foods) may be different from the values in this table. Each nutrient (every row) has the highest number highlighted to show the staple food with the greatest amount in a 100-gram raw portion.

 

TOXICITY

Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Solanine is found in other plants in the same family, Solanaceae, which includes such plants as deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), as well as the food plants eggplant and tomato. These compounds, which protect the potato plant from its predators, are generally concentrated in its leaves, flowers, sprouts, and fruits (in contrast to the tubers). In a summary of several studies, the glycoalkaloid content was highest in the flowers and sprouts and lowest in the tuber flesh. (The glycoalkaloid content was, in order from highest to lowest: flowers, sprouts, leaves, skin, roots, berries, peel [skin plus outer cortex of tuber flesh], stems, and tuber flesh.)

 

Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber. Cooking at high temperatures—over 170 °C—partly destroys these compounds. The concentration of glycoalkaloids in wild potatoes is sufficient to produce toxic effects in humans. Glycoalkaloid poisoning may cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps, and, in severe cases, coma and death. However, poisoning from cultivated potato varieties is very rare. Light exposure causes greening from chlorophyll synthesis, giving a visual clue as to which areas of the tuber may have become more toxic. However, this does not provide a definitive guide, as greening and glycoalkaloid accumulation can occur independently of each other.

 

Different potato varieties contain different levels of glycoalkaloids. The Lenape variety was released in 1967 but was withdrawn in 1970 as it contained high levels of glycoalkaloids. Since then, breeders developing new varieties test for this, and sometimes have to discard an otherwise promising cultivar. Breeders try to keep glycoalkaloid levels below 200 mg/kg). However, when these commercial varieties turn green, they can still approach solanine concentrations of 1000 mg/kg. In normal potatoes, analysis has shown solanine levels may be as little as 3.5% of the breeders' maximum, with 7–187 mg/kg being found. While a normal potato tuber has 12–20 mg/kg of glycoalkaloid content, a green potato tuber contains 250–280 mg/kg and its skin has 1500–2200 mg/kg.

 

GROWTH AND CULTIVATION

SEED POTATOES

Potatoes are generally grown from seed potatoes, tubers specifically grown to be free from disease and to provide consistent and healthy plants. To be disease free, the areas where seed potatoes are grown are selected with care. In the US, this restricts production of seed potatoes to only 15 states out of all 50 states where potatoes are grown. These locations are selected for their cold, hard winters that kill pests and summers with long sunshine hours for optimum growth. In the UK, most seed potatoes originate in Scotland, in areas where westerly winds prevent aphid attack and thus prevent spread of potato virus pathogens.

 

PHASES OF GROWTH

Potato growth is divided into five phases. During the first phase, sprouts emerge from the seed potatoes and root growth begins. During the second, photosynthesis begins as the plant develops leaves and branches. In the third phase, stolons develop from lower leaf axils on the stem and grow downwards into the ground and on these stolons new tubers develop as swellings of the stolon. This phase is often, but not always, associated with flowering. Tuber formation halts when soil temperatures reach 27 °C; hence potatoes are considered a cool-season, or winter, crop. Tuber bulking occurs during the fourth phase, when the plant begins investing the majority of its resources in its newly formed tubers. At this phase, several factors are critical to a good yield: optimal soil moisture and temperature, soil nutrient availability and balance, and resistance to pest attacks. The fifth and final phase is the maturation of the tubers: the plant canopy dies back, the tuber skins harden, and the sugars in the tubers convert to starches.

 

CHALLENGES

New tubers may start growing at the surface of the soil. Since exposure to light leads to an undesirable greening of the skins and the development of solanine as a protection from the sun's rays, growers cover surface tubers. Commercial growers cover them by piling additional soil around the base of the plant as it grows (called "hilling" up, or in British English "earthing up"). An alternative method, used by home gardeners and smaller-scale growers, involves covering the growing area with organic mulches such as straw or plastic sheets.

 

Correct potato husbandry can be an arduous task in some circumstances. Good ground preparation, harrowing, plowing, and rolling are always needed, along with a little grace from the weather and a good source of water. Three successive plowings, with associated harrowing and rolling, are desirable before planting. Eliminating all root-weeds is desirable in potato cultivation. In general, the potatoes themselves are grown from the eyes of another potato and not from seed. Home gardeners often plant a piece of potato with two or three eyes in a hill of mounded soil. Commercial growers plant potatoes as a row crop using seed tubers, young plants or microtubers and may mound the entire row. Seed potato crops are rogued in some countries to eliminate diseased plants or those of a different variety from the seed crop.

 

Potatoes are sensitive to heavy frosts, which damage them in the ground. Even cold weather makes potatoes more susceptible to bruising and possibly later rotting, which can quickly ruin a large stored crop.

 

PESTS

The historically significant Phytophthora infestans (late blight) remains an ongoing problem in Europe and the United States. Other potato diseases include Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, black leg, powdery mildew, powdery scab and leafroll virus.

 

Insects that commonly transmit potato diseases or damage the plants include the Colorado potato beetle, the potato tuber moth, the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), the potato aphid, beet leafhoppers, thrips, and mites. The potato cyst nematode is a microscopic worm that thrives on the roots, thus causing the potato plants to wilt. Since its eggs can survive in the soil for several years, crop rotation is recommended.

 

During the crop year 2008, many of the certified organic potatoes produced in the United Kingdom and certified by the Soil Association as organic were sprayed with a copper pesticide to control potato blight (Phytophthora infestans). According to the Soil Association, the total copper that can be applied to organic land is 6 kg/ha/year.

 

According to an Environmental Working Group analysis of USDA and FDA pesticide residue tests performed from 2000 through 2008, 84% of the 2,216 tested potato samples contained detectable traces of at least one pesticide. A total of 36 unique pesticides were detected on potatoes over the 2,216 samples, though no individual sample contained more than 6 unique pesticide traces, and the average was 1.29 detectable unique pesticide traces per sample. The average quantity of all pesticide traces found in the 2,216 samples was 1.602 ppm. While this was a very low value of pesticide residue, it was the highest amongst the 50 vegetables analyzed.

 

HARVEST

At harvest time, gardeners usually dig up potatoes with a long-handled, three-prong "grape" (or graip), i.e., a spading fork, or a potato hook, which is similar to the graip but with tines at a 90° angle to the handle. In larger plots, the plow is the fastest implement for unearthing potatoes. Commercial harvesting is typically done with large potato harvesters, which scoop up the plant and surrounding earth. This is transported up an apron chain consisting of steel links several feet wide, which separates some of the dirt. The chain deposits into an area where further separation occurs. Different designs use different systems at this point. The most complex designs use vine choppers and shakers, along with a blower system to separate the potatoes from the plant. The result is then usually run past workers who continue to sort out plant material, stones, and rotten potatoes before the potatoes are continuously delivered to a wagon or truck. Further inspection and separation occurs when the potatoes are unloaded from the field vehicles and put into storage.

 

Immature potatoes may be sold as "creamer potatoes" and are particularly valued for taste. These are often harvested by the home gardener or farmer by "grabbling", i.e. pulling out the young tubers by hand while leaving the plant in place. A creamer potato is a variety of potato harvested before it matures to keep it small and tender. It is generally either a Yukon Gold potato or a red potato, called gold creamers or red creamers respectively, and measures approximately 2.5 cm in diameter. The skin of creamer potatoes is waxy and high in moisture content, and the flesh contains a lower level of starch than other potatoes. Like potatoes in general, they can be prepared by boiling, baking, frying, and roasting. Slightly older than creamer potatoes are "new potatoes", which are also prized for their taste and texture and often come from the same varieties.

 

Potatoes are usually cured after harvest to improve skin-set. Skin-set is the process by which the skin of the potato becomes resistant to skinning damage. Potato tubers may be susceptible to skinning at harvest and suffer skinning damage during harvest and handling operations. Curing allows the skin to fully set and any wounds to heal. Wound-healing prevents infection and water-loss from the tubers during storage. Curing is normally done at relatively warm temperatures 10 to 16 °C with high humidity and good gas-exchange if at all possible.

 

STORAGE

Storage facilities need to be carefully designed to keep the potatoes alive and slow the natural process of decomposition, which involves the breakdown of starch. It is crucial that the storage area is dark, ventilated well and, for long-term storage, maintained at temperatures near 4 °C. For short-term storage, temperatures of about 7 to 10 °C are preferred.

 

On the other hand, temperatures below 4 °C convert the starch in potatoes into sugar, which alters their taste and cooking qualities and leads to higher acrylamide levels in the cooked product, especially in deep-fried dishes. The discovery of acrylamides in starchy foods in 2002 has led to international health concerns. They are believed to be probable carcinogens and their occurrence in cooked foods is being studied for potentially influencing health problems.

 

Under optimum conditions in commercial warehouses, potatoes can be stored for up to 10–12 months. The commercial storage and retrieval of potatoes involves several phases: first drying surface moisture; wound healing at 85% to 95% relative humidity and temperatures below 25 °C; a staged cooling phase; a holding phase; and a reconditioning phase, during which the tubers are slowly warmed. Mechanical ventilation is used at various points during the process to prevent condensation and the accumulation of carbon dioxide.

 

When stored in homes unrefrigerated, the shelf life is usually a few weeks.

 

If potatoes develop green areas or start to sprout, trimming or peeling those green-colored parts is inadequate to remove copresent toxins, and such potatoes are no longer edible.

 

YIELD

The world dedicated 18.6 million ha in 2010 for potato cultivation. The average world farm yield for potato was 17.4 tonnes per hectare, in 2010. Potato farms in the United States were the most productive in 2010, with a nationwide average of 44.3 tonnes per hectare. United Kingdom was a close second.

 

New Zealand farmers have demonstrated some of the best commercial yields in the world, ranging between 60 and 80 tonnes per hectare, some reporting yields of 88 tonnes potatoes per hectare.

 

There is a big gap among various countries between high and low yields, even with the same variety of potato. Average potato yields in developed economies ranges between 38–44 tonnes per hectare. China and India accounted for over a third of world's production in 2010, and had yields of 14.7 and 19.9 tonnes per hectare respectively. The yield gap between farms in developing economies and developed economies represents an opportunity loss of over 400 million tonnes of potato, or an amount greater than 2010 world potato production. Potato crop yields are determined by factors such as the crop breed, seed age and quality, crop management practices and the plant environment. Improvements in one or more of these yield determinants, and a closure of the yield gap, can be a major boost to food supply and farmer incomes in the developing world.

 

USES

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to swell the starch granules. Most potato dishes are served hot but some are first cooked, then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips (crisps). Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes. Unlike many foods, potatoes can also be easily cooked in a microwave oven and still retain nearly all of their nutritional value, provided they are covered in ventilated plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping; this method produces a meal very similar to a steamed potato, while retaining the appearance of a conventionally baked potato. Potato chunks also commonly appear as a stew ingredient. Potatoes are boiled between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on size and type, to become soft.

 

OTHER THAN FOR EATING

Potatoes are also used for purposes other than eating by humans, for example:

 

Potatoes are used to brew alcoholic beverages such as vodka, poitín, or akvavit.

They are also used as fodder for livestock. Livestock-grade potatoes, considered too small and/or blemished to sell or market for human use but suitable for fodder use, have been called chats in some dialects. They may be stored in bins until use; they are sometimes ensiled. Some farmers prefer to steam them rather than feed them raw and are equipped to do so efficiently.

Potato starch is used in the food industry as a thickener and binder for soups and sauces, in the textile industry as an adhesive, and for the manufacturing of papers and boards.

Maine companies are exploring the possibilities of using waste potatoes to obtain polylactic acid for use in plastic products; other research projects seek ways to use the starch as a base for biodegradable packaging.

Potato skins, along with honey, are a folk remedy for burns in India. Burn centres in India have experimented with the use of the thin outer skin layer to protect burns while healing.

Potatoes (mainly Russets) are commonly used in plant research. The consistent parenchyma tissue, the clonal nature of the plant and the low metabolic activity provide a very nice "model tissue" for experimentation. Wound-response studies are often done on potato tuber tissue, as are electron transport experiments. In this respect, potato tuber tissue is similar to Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans and Escherichia coli: they are all "standard" research organisms.

Potatoes have been delivered with personalized messages as a novelty. Potato delivery services include Potato Parcel and Mail A Spud.

 

WIKIPEDIA

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. In many contexts, potato refers to the edible tuber, but it can also refer to the plant itself. Common or slang terms include tater, tattie and spud. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Today they are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world's fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice.

 

Wild potato species can be found throughout the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile. The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated independently in multiple locations, but later genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species traced a single origin for potatoes. In the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia, from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex, potatoes were domesticated approximately 7,000–10,000 years ago. In the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultivated.

 

Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 1,000 different types of potatoes. Over 99% of presently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile, which have displaced formerly popular varieties from the Andes.

 

The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary ingredient varies by region and is still changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe, especially eastern and central Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world in overall production as of 2014.

 

Being a nightshade similar to tomatoes, the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine and are not fit for human consumption. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in amounts small enough to be negligible to human health, but if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to affect human health.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The English word potato comes from Spanish patata (the name used in Spain). The Spanish Royal Academy says the Spanish word is a hybrid of the Taíno batata (sweet potato) and the Quechua papa (potato). The name originally referred to the sweet potato although the two plants are not closely related. The 16th-century English herbalist John Gerard referred to sweet potatoes as "common potatoes", and used the terms "bastard potatoes" and "Virginia potatoes" for the species we now call "potato". In many of the chronicles detailing agriculture and plants, no distinction is made between the two. Potatoes are occasionally referred to as "Irish potatoes" or "white potatoes" in the United States, to distinguish them from sweet potatoes.

 

The name spud for a small potato comes from the digging of soil (or a hole) prior to the planting of potatoes. The word has an unknown origin and was originally (c. 1440) used as a term for a short knife or dagger, probably related to the Latin "spad-" a word root meaning "sword"; cf. Spanish "espada", English "spade" and "spadroon". It subsequently transferred over to a variety of digging tools. Around 1845, the name transferred to the tuber itself, the first record of this usage being in New Zealand English. The origin of the word "spud" has erroneously been attributed to an 18th-century activist group dedicated to keeping the potato out of Britain, calling itself The Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet (S.P.U.D.). It was Mario Pei's 1949 The Story of Language that can be blamed for the word's false origin. Pei writes, "the potato, for its part, was in disrepute some centuries ago. Some Englishmen who did not fancy potatoes formed a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet. The initials of the main words in this title gave rise to spud." Like most other pre-20th century acronymic origins, this is false, and there is no evidence that a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet ever existed.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Potato plants are herbaceous perennials that grow about 60 cm high, depending on variety, with the leaves dying back after flowering, fruiting and tuber formation. They bear white, pink, red, blue, or purple flowers with yellow stamens. In general, the tubers of varieties with white flowers have white skins, while those of varieties with colored flowers tend to have pinkish skins. Potatoes are mostly cross-pollinated by insects such as bumblebees, which carry pollen from other potato plants, though a substantial amount of self-fertilizing occurs as well. Tubers form in response to decreasing day length, although this tendency has been minimized in commercial varieties.

 

After flowering, potato plants produce small green fruits that resemble green cherry tomatoes, each containing about 300 seeds. Like all parts of the plant except the tubers, the fruit contain the toxic alkaloid solanine and are therefore unsuitable for consumption. All new potato varieties are grown from seeds, also called "true potato seed", "TPS" or "botanical seed" to distinguish it from seed tubers. New varieties grown from seed can be propagated vegetatively by planting tubers, pieces of tubers cut to include at least one or two eyes, or cuttings, a practice used in greenhouses for the production of healthy seed tubers. Plants propagated from tubers are clones of the parent, whereas those propagated from seed produce a range of different varieties.

 

GENETICS

There are about 5,000 potato varieties worldwide. Three thousand of them are found in the Andes alone, mainly in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia. They belong to eight or nine species, depending on the taxonomic school. Apart from the 5,000 cultivated varieties, there are about 200 wild species and subspecies, many of which can be cross-bred with cultivated varieties. Cross-breeding has been done repeatedly to transfer resistances to certain pests and diseases from the gene pool of wild species to the gene pool of cultivated potato species. Genetically modified varieties have met public resistance in the United States and in the European UnionThe major species grown worldwide is Solanum tuberosum (a tetraploid with 48 chromosomes), and modern varieties of this species are the most widely cultivated. There are also four diploid species (with 24 chromosomes): S. stenotomum, S. phureja, S. goniocalyx, and S. ajanhuiri. There are two triploid species (with 36 chromosomes): S. chaucha and S. juzepczukii. There is one pentaploid cultivated species (with 60 chromosomes): S. curtilobum. There are two major subspecies of Solanum tuberosum: andigena, or Andean; and tuberosum, or Chilean. The Andean potato is adapted to the short-day conditions prevalent in the mountainous equatorial and tropical regions where it originated; the Chilean potato, however, native to the Chiloé Archipelago, is adapted to the long-day conditions prevalent in the higher latitude region of southern Chile.

 

The International Potato Center, based in Lima, Peru, holds an ISO-accredited collection of potato germplasm. The international Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium announced in 2009 that they had achieved a draft sequence of the potato genome. The potato genome contains 12 chromosomes and 860 million base pairs, making it a medium-sized plant genome. More than 99 percent of all current varieties of potatoes currently grown are direct descendants of a subspecies that once grew in the lowlands of south-central Chile. Nonetheless, genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species affirms that all potato subspecies derive from a single origin in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme Northwestern Bolivia (from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex). The wild Crop Wild Relatives Prebreeding project encourages the use of wild relatives in breeding programs. Enriching and preserving the gene bank collection to make potatoes adaptive to diverse environmental conditions is seen as a pressing issue due to climate change.

 

Most modern potatoes grown in North America arrived through European settlement and not independently from the South American sources, although at least one wild potato species, Solanum fendleri, naturally ranges from Peru into Texas, where it is used in breeding for resistance to a nematode species that attacks cultivated potatoes. A secondary center of genetic variability of the potato is Mexico, where important wild species that have been used extensively in modern breeding are found, such as the hexaploid Solanum demissum, as a source of resistance to the devastating late blight disease. Another relative native to this region, Solanum bulbocastanum, has been used to genetically engineer the potato to resist potato blight.

 

Potatoes yield abundantly with little effort, and adapt readily to diverse climates as long as the climate is cool and moist enough for the plants to gather sufficient water from the soil to form the starchy tubers. Potatoes do not keep very well in storage and are vulnerable to moulds that feed on the stored tubers and quickly turn them rotten, whereas crops such as grain can be stored for several years with a low risk of rot. The yield of Calories per acre (about 9.2 million) is higher than that of maize (7.5 million), rice (7.4 million), wheat (3 million), or soybean (2.8 million).

 

VARIETIES

There are close to 4,000 varieties of potato including common commercial varieties, each of which has specific agricultural or culinary attributes. Around 80 varieties are commercially available in the UK. In general, varieties are categorized into a few main groups based on common characteristics, such as russet potatoes (rough brown skin), red potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes (also called Yukon potatoes) and purple potatoes.

 

For culinary purposes, varieties are often differentiated by their waxiness: floury or mealy baking potatoes have more starch (20–22%) than waxy boiling potatoes (16–18%). The distinction may also arise from variation in the comparative ratio of two different potato starch compounds: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose, a long-chain molecule, diffuses from the starch granule when cooked in water, and lends itself to dishes where the potato is mashed. Varieties that contain a slightly higher amylopectin content, which is a highly branched molecule, help the potato retain its shape after being boiled in water. Potatoes that are good for making potato chips or potato crisps are sometimes called "chipping potatoes", which means they meet the basic requirements of similar varietal characteristics, being firm, fairly clean, and fairly well-shaped.

 

The European Cultivated Potato Database (ECPD) is an online collaborative database of potato variety descriptions that is updated and maintained by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency within the framework of the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR)—which is run by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).

 

PIGMENTATION

Dozens of potato cultivars have been selectively bred specifically for their skin or, more commonly, flesh color, including gold, red, and blue varieties that contain varying amounts of phytochemicals, including carotenoids for gold/yellow or polyphenols for red or blue cultivars. Carotenoid compounds include provitamin A alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, which are converted to the essential nutrient, vitamin A, during digestion. Anthocyanins mainly responsible for red or blue pigmentation in potato cultivars do not have nutritional significance, but are used for visual variety and consumer appeal. Recently, as of 2010, potatoes have also been bioengineered specifically for these pigmentation traits.

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED POTATOES

Genetic research has produced several genetically modified varieties. 'New Leaf', owned by Monsanto Company, incorporates genes from Bacillus thuringiensis, which confers resistance to the Colorado potato beetle; 'New Leaf Plus' and 'New Leaf Y', approved by US regulatory agencies during the 1990s, also include resistance to viruses. McDonald's, Burger King, Frito-Lay, and Procter & Gamble announced they would not use genetically modified potatoes, and Monsanto published its intent to discontinue the line in March 2001.

 

Waxy potato varieties produce two main kinds of potato starch, amylose and amylopectin, the latter of which is most industrially useful. BASF developed the Amflora potato, which was modified to express antisense RNA to inactivate the gene for granule bound starch synthase, an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of amylose. Amflora potatoes therefore produce starch consisting almost entirely of amylopectin, and are thus more useful for the starch industry. In 2010, the European Commission cleared the way for 'Amflora' to be grown in the European Union for industrial purposes only—not for food. Nevertheless, under EU rules, individual countries have the right to decide whether they will allow this potato to be grown on their territory. Commercial planting of 'Amflora' was expected in the Czech Republic and Germany in the spring of 2010, and Sweden and the Netherlands in subsequent years. Another GM potato variety developed by BASF is 'Fortuna' which was made resistant to late blight by adding two resistance genes, blb1 and blb2, which originate from the Mexican wild potato Solanum bulbocastanum. In October 2011 BASF requested cultivation and marketing approval as a feed and food from the EFSA. In 2012, GMO development in Europe was stopped by BASF.

 

In November 2014, the USDA approved a genetically modified potato developed by J.R. Simplot Company, which contains genetic modifications that prevent bruising and produce less acrylamide when fried than conventional potatoes; the modifications do not cause new proteins to be made, but rather prevent proteins from being made via RNA interference.

 

HISTORY

The potato was first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BC. It has since spread around the world and become a staple crop in many countries.

 

The earliest archaeologically verified potato tuber remains have been found at the coastal site of Ancon (central Peru), dating to 2500 BC. The most widely cultivated variety, Solanum tuberosum tuberosum, is indigenous to the Chiloé Archipelago, and has been cultivated by the local indigenous people since before the Spanish conquest.

 

According to conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato was responsible for a quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. In the Altiplano, potatoes provided the principal energy source for the Inca civilization, its predecessors, and its Spanish successor. Following the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century, part of the Columbian exchange. The staple was subsequently conveyed by European mariners to territories and ports throughout the world. The potato was slow to be adopted by European farmers, but soon enough it became an important food staple and field crop that played a major role in the European 19th century population boom. However, lack of genetic diversity, due to the very limited number of varieties initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a plant disease known as late blight, caused by the fungus-like oomycete Phytophthora infestans, spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland as well as parts of the Scottish Highlands, resulting in the crop failures that led to the Great Irish Famine. Thousands of varieties still persist in the Andes however, where over 100 cultivars might be found in a single valley, and a dozen or more might be maintained by a single agricultural household.

 

PRODUCTION

In 2016, world production of potatoes was 377 million tonnes, led by China with over 26% of the world total (see table). Other major producers were India, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. It remains an essential crop in Europe (especially eastern and central Europe), where per capita production is still the highest in the world, but the most rapid expansion over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia.

 

NUTRITION

A raw potato is 79% water, 17% carbohydrates (88% is starch), 2% protein, and contains negligible fat (see table). In an amount measuring 100 grams, raw potato provides 322 kilojoules (77 kilocalories) of energy and is a rich source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C (23% and 24% of the Daily Value, respectively), with no other vitamins or minerals in significant amount (see table). The potato is rarely eaten raw because raw potato starch is poorly digested by humans. When a potato is baked, its contents of vitamin B6 and vitamin C decline notably, while there is little significant change in the amount of other nutrients.

 

Potatoes are often broadly classified as having a high glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a low-GI diet. The GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on the cultivar or cultivar category (such as "red", russet, "white", or King Edward), growing conditions and storage, preparation methods (by cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole), and accompanying foods consumed (especially the addition of various high-fat or high-protein toppings). In particular, consuming reheated or cooled potatoes that were previously cooked may yield a lower GI effect.

 

In the UK, potatoes are not considered by the National Health Service (NHS) as counting or contributing towards the recommended daily five portions of fruit and vegetables, the 5-A-Day program.

 

COMPARISON TO OTHER STAPLE FOODS

This table shows the nutrient content of potatoes next to other major staple foods, each one measured in its respective raw state, even though staple foods are not commonly eaten raw and are usually sprouted or cooked before eating. In sprouted and cooked form, the relative nutritional and anti-nutritional contents of each of these grains (or other foods) may be different from the values in this table. Each nutrient (every row) has the highest number highlighted to show the staple food with the greatest amount in a 100-gram raw portion.

 

TOXICITY

Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Solanine is found in other plants in the same family, Solanaceae, which includes such plants as deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), as well as the food plants eggplant and tomato. These compounds, which protect the potato plant from its predators, are generally concentrated in its leaves, flowers, sprouts, and fruits (in contrast to the tubers). In a summary of several studies, the glycoalkaloid content was highest in the flowers and sprouts and lowest in the tuber flesh. (The glycoalkaloid content was, in order from highest to lowest: flowers, sprouts, leaves, skin, roots, berries, peel [skin plus outer cortex of tuber flesh], stems, and tuber flesh.)

 

Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber. Cooking at high temperatures—over 170 °C—partly destroys these compounds. The concentration of glycoalkaloids in wild potatoes is sufficient to produce toxic effects in humans. Glycoalkaloid poisoning may cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps, and, in severe cases, coma and death. However, poisoning from cultivated potato varieties is very rare. Light exposure causes greening from chlorophyll synthesis, giving a visual clue as to which areas of the tuber may have become more toxic. However, this does not provide a definitive guide, as greening and glycoalkaloid accumulation can occur independently of each other.

 

Different potato varieties contain different levels of glycoalkaloids. The Lenape variety was released in 1967 but was withdrawn in 1970 as it contained high levels of glycoalkaloids. Since then, breeders developing new varieties test for this, and sometimes have to discard an otherwise promising cultivar. Breeders try to keep glycoalkaloid levels below 200 mg/kg). However, when these commercial varieties turn green, they can still approach solanine concentrations of 1000 mg/kg. In normal potatoes, analysis has shown solanine levels may be as little as 3.5% of the breeders' maximum, with 7–187 mg/kg being found. While a normal potato tuber has 12–20 mg/kg of glycoalkaloid content, a green potato tuber contains 250–280 mg/kg and its skin has 1500–2200 mg/kg.

 

GROWTH AND CULTIVATION

SEED POTATOES

Potatoes are generally grown from seed potatoes, tubers specifically grown to be free from disease and to provide consistent and healthy plants. To be disease free, the areas where seed potatoes are grown are selected with care. In the US, this restricts production of seed potatoes to only 15 states out of all 50 states where potatoes are grown. These locations are selected for their cold, hard winters that kill pests and summers with long sunshine hours for optimum growth. In the UK, most seed potatoes originate in Scotland, in areas where westerly winds prevent aphid attack and thus prevent spread of potato virus pathogens.

 

PHASES OF GROWTH

Potato growth is divided into five phases. During the first phase, sprouts emerge from the seed potatoes and root growth begins. During the second, photosynthesis begins as the plant develops leaves and branches. In the third phase, stolons develop from lower leaf axils on the stem and grow downwards into the ground and on these stolons new tubers develop as swellings of the stolon. This phase is often, but not always, associated with flowering. Tuber formation halts when soil temperatures reach 27 °C; hence potatoes are considered a cool-season, or winter, crop. Tuber bulking occurs during the fourth phase, when the plant begins investing the majority of its resources in its newly formed tubers. At this phase, several factors are critical to a good yield: optimal soil moisture and temperature, soil nutrient availability and balance, and resistance to pest attacks. The fifth and final phase is the maturation of the tubers: the plant canopy dies back, the tuber skins harden, and the sugars in the tubers convert to starches.

 

CHALLENGES

New tubers may start growing at the surface of the soil. Since exposure to light leads to an undesirable greening of the skins and the development of solanine as a protection from the sun's rays, growers cover surface tubers. Commercial growers cover them by piling additional soil around the base of the plant as it grows (called "hilling" up, or in British English "earthing up"). An alternative method, used by home gardeners and smaller-scale growers, involves covering the growing area with organic mulches such as straw or plastic sheets.

 

Correct potato husbandry can be an arduous task in some circumstances. Good ground preparation, harrowing, plowing, and rolling are always needed, along with a little grace from the weather and a good source of water. Three successive plowings, with associated harrowing and rolling, are desirable before planting. Eliminating all root-weeds is desirable in potato cultivation. In general, the potatoes themselves are grown from the eyes of another potato and not from seed. Home gardeners often plant a piece of potato with two or three eyes in a hill of mounded soil. Commercial growers plant potatoes as a row crop using seed tubers, young plants or microtubers and may mound the entire row. Seed potato crops are rogued in some countries to eliminate diseased plants or those of a different variety from the seed crop.

 

Potatoes are sensitive to heavy frosts, which damage them in the ground. Even cold weather makes potatoes more susceptible to bruising and possibly later rotting, which can quickly ruin a large stored crop.

 

PESTS

The historically significant Phytophthora infestans (late blight) remains an ongoing problem in Europe and the United States. Other potato diseases include Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, black leg, powdery mildew, powdery scab and leafroll virus.

 

Insects that commonly transmit potato diseases or damage the plants include the Colorado potato beetle, the potato tuber moth, the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), the potato aphid, beet leafhoppers, thrips, and mites. The potato cyst nematode is a microscopic worm that thrives on the roots, thus causing the potato plants to wilt. Since its eggs can survive in the soil for several years, crop rotation is recommended.

 

During the crop year 2008, many of the certified organic potatoes produced in the United Kingdom and certified by the Soil Association as organic were sprayed with a copper pesticide to control potato blight (Phytophthora infestans). According to the Soil Association, the total copper that can be applied to organic land is 6 kg/ha/year.

 

According to an Environmental Working Group analysis of USDA and FDA pesticide residue tests performed from 2000 through 2008, 84% of the 2,216 tested potato samples contained detectable traces of at least one pesticide. A total of 36 unique pesticides were detected on potatoes over the 2,216 samples, though no individual sample contained more than 6 unique pesticide traces, and the average was 1.29 detectable unique pesticide traces per sample. The average quantity of all pesticide traces found in the 2,216 samples was 1.602 ppm. While this was a very low value of pesticide residue, it was the highest amongst the 50 vegetables analyzed.

 

HARVEST

At harvest time, gardeners usually dig up potatoes with a long-handled, three-prong "grape" (or graip), i.e., a spading fork, or a potato hook, which is similar to the graip but with tines at a 90° angle to the handle. In larger plots, the plow is the fastest implement for unearthing potatoes. Commercial harvesting is typically done with large potato harvesters, which scoop up the plant and surrounding earth. This is transported up an apron chain consisting of steel links several feet wide, which separates some of the dirt. The chain deposits into an area where further separation occurs. Different designs use different systems at this point. The most complex designs use vine choppers and shakers, along with a blower system to separate the potatoes from the plant. The result is then usually run past workers who continue to sort out plant material, stones, and rotten potatoes before the potatoes are continuously delivered to a wagon or truck. Further inspection and separation occurs when the potatoes are unloaded from the field vehicles and put into storage.

 

Immature potatoes may be sold as "creamer potatoes" and are particularly valued for taste. These are often harvested by the home gardener or farmer by "grabbling", i.e. pulling out the young tubers by hand while leaving the plant in place. A creamer potato is a variety of potato harvested before it matures to keep it small and tender. It is generally either a Yukon Gold potato or a red potato, called gold creamers or red creamers respectively, and measures approximately 2.5 cm in diameter. The skin of creamer potatoes is waxy and high in moisture content, and the flesh contains a lower level of starch than other potatoes. Like potatoes in general, they can be prepared by boiling, baking, frying, and roasting. Slightly older than creamer potatoes are "new potatoes", which are also prized for their taste and texture and often come from the same varieties.

 

Potatoes are usually cured after harvest to improve skin-set. Skin-set is the process by which the skin of the potato becomes resistant to skinning damage. Potato tubers may be susceptible to skinning at harvest and suffer skinning damage during harvest and handling operations. Curing allows the skin to fully set and any wounds to heal. Wound-healing prevents infection and water-loss from the tubers during storage. Curing is normally done at relatively warm temperatures 10 to 16 °C with high humidity and good gas-exchange if at all possible.

 

STORAGE

Storage facilities need to be carefully designed to keep the potatoes alive and slow the natural process of decomposition, which involves the breakdown of starch. It is crucial that the storage area is dark, ventilated well and, for long-term storage, maintained at temperatures near 4 °C. For short-term storage, temperatures of about 7 to 10 °C are preferred.

 

On the other hand, temperatures below 4 °C convert the starch in potatoes into sugar, which alters their taste and cooking qualities and leads to higher acrylamide levels in the cooked product, especially in deep-fried dishes. The discovery of acrylamides in starchy foods in 2002 has led to international health concerns. They are believed to be probable carcinogens and their occurrence in cooked foods is being studied for potentially influencing health problems.

 

Under optimum conditions in commercial warehouses, potatoes can be stored for up to 10–12 months. The commercial storage and retrieval of potatoes involves several phases: first drying surface moisture; wound healing at 85% to 95% relative humidity and temperatures below 25 °C; a staged cooling phase; a holding phase; and a reconditioning phase, during which the tubers are slowly warmed. Mechanical ventilation is used at various points during the process to prevent condensation and the accumulation of carbon dioxide.

 

When stored in homes unrefrigerated, the shelf life is usually a few weeks.

 

If potatoes develop green areas or start to sprout, trimming or peeling those green-colored parts is inadequate to remove copresent toxins, and such potatoes are no longer edible.

 

YIELD

The world dedicated 18.6 million ha in 2010 for potato cultivation. The average world farm yield for potato was 17.4 tonnes per hectare, in 2010. Potato farms in the United States were the most productive in 2010, with a nationwide average of 44.3 tonnes per hectare. United Kingdom was a close second.

 

New Zealand farmers have demonstrated some of the best commercial yields in the world, ranging between 60 and 80 tonnes per hectare, some reporting yields of 88 tonnes potatoes per hectare.

 

There is a big gap among various countries between high and low yields, even with the same variety of potato. Average potato yields in developed economies ranges between 38–44 tonnes per hectare. China and India accounted for over a third of world's production in 2010, and had yields of 14.7 and 19.9 tonnes per hectare respectively. The yield gap between farms in developing economies and developed economies represents an opportunity loss of over 400 million tonnes of potato, or an amount greater than 2010 world potato production. Potato crop yields are determined by factors such as the crop breed, seed age and quality, crop management practices and the plant environment. Improvements in one or more of these yield determinants, and a closure of the yield gap, can be a major boost to food supply and farmer incomes in the developing world.

 

USES

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to swell the starch granules. Most potato dishes are served hot but some are first cooked, then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips (crisps). Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes. Unlike many foods, potatoes can also be easily cooked in a microwave oven and still retain nearly all of their nutritional value, provided they are covered in ventilated plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping; this method produces a meal very similar to a steamed potato, while retaining the appearance of a conventionally baked potato. Potato chunks also commonly appear as a stew ingredient. Potatoes are boiled between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on size and type, to become soft.

 

OTHER THAN FOR EATING

Potatoes are also used for purposes other than eating by humans, for example:

 

Potatoes are used to brew alcoholic beverages such as vodka, poitín, or akvavit.

They are also used as fodder for livestock. Livestock-grade potatoes, considered too small and/or blemished to sell or market for human use but suitable for fodder use, have been called chats in some dialects. They may be stored in bins until use; they are sometimes ensiled. Some farmers prefer to steam them rather than feed them raw and are equipped to do so efficiently.

Potato starch is used in the food industry as a thickener and binder for soups and sauces, in the textile industry as an adhesive, and for the manufacturing of papers and boards.

Maine companies are exploring the possibilities of using waste potatoes to obtain polylactic acid for use in plastic products; other research projects seek ways to use the starch as a base for biodegradable packaging.

Potato skins, along with honey, are a folk remedy for burns in India. Burn centres in India have experimented with the use of the thin outer skin layer to protect burns while healing.

Potatoes (mainly Russets) are commonly used in plant research. The consistent parenchyma tissue, the clonal nature of the plant and the low metabolic activity provide a very nice "model tissue" for experimentation. Wound-response studies are often done on potato tuber tissue, as are electron transport experiments. In this respect, potato tuber tissue is similar to Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans and Escherichia coli: they are all "standard" research organisms.

Potatoes have been delivered with personalized messages as a novelty. Potato delivery services include Potato Parcel and Mail A Spud.

 

WIKIPEDIA

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. In many contexts, potato refers to the edible tuber, but it can also refer to the plant itself. Common or slang terms include tater, tattie and spud. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Today they are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world's fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice.

 

Wild potato species can be found throughout the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile. The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated independently in multiple locations, but later genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species traced a single origin for potatoes. In the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia, from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex, potatoes were domesticated approximately 7,000–10,000 years ago. In the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultivated.

 

Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 1,000 different types of potatoes. Over 99% of presently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile, which have displaced formerly popular varieties from the Andes.

 

The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary ingredient varies by region and is still changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe, especially eastern and central Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world in overall production as of 2014.

 

Being a nightshade similar to tomatoes, the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine and are not fit for human consumption. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in amounts small enough to be negligible to human health, but if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to affect human health.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The English word potato comes from Spanish patata (the name used in Spain). The Spanish Royal Academy says the Spanish word is a hybrid of the Taíno batata (sweet potato) and the Quechua papa (potato). The name originally referred to the sweet potato although the two plants are not closely related. The 16th-century English herbalist John Gerard referred to sweet potatoes as "common potatoes", and used the terms "bastard potatoes" and "Virginia potatoes" for the species we now call "potato". In many of the chronicles detailing agriculture and plants, no distinction is made between the two. Potatoes are occasionally referred to as "Irish potatoes" or "white potatoes" in the United States, to distinguish them from sweet potatoes.

 

The name spud for a small potato comes from the digging of soil (or a hole) prior to the planting of potatoes. The word has an unknown origin and was originally (c. 1440) used as a term for a short knife or dagger, probably related to the Latin "spad-" a word root meaning "sword"; cf. Spanish "espada", English "spade" and "spadroon". It subsequently transferred over to a variety of digging tools. Around 1845, the name transferred to the tuber itself, the first record of this usage being in New Zealand English. The origin of the word "spud" has erroneously been attributed to an 18th-century activist group dedicated to keeping the potato out of Britain, calling itself The Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet (S.P.U.D.). It was Mario Pei's 1949 The Story of Language that can be blamed for the word's false origin. Pei writes, "the potato, for its part, was in disrepute some centuries ago. Some Englishmen who did not fancy potatoes formed a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet. The initials of the main words in this title gave rise to spud." Like most other pre-20th century acronymic origins, this is false, and there is no evidence that a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet ever existed.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Potato plants are herbaceous perennials that grow about 60 cm high, depending on variety, with the leaves dying back after flowering, fruiting and tuber formation. They bear white, pink, red, blue, or purple flowers with yellow stamens. In general, the tubers of varieties with white flowers have white skins, while those of varieties with colored flowers tend to have pinkish skins. Potatoes are mostly cross-pollinated by insects such as bumblebees, which carry pollen from other potato plants, though a substantial amount of self-fertilizing occurs as well. Tubers form in response to decreasing day length, although this tendency has been minimized in commercial varieties.

 

After flowering, potato plants produce small green fruits that resemble green cherry tomatoes, each containing about 300 seeds. Like all parts of the plant except the tubers, the fruit contain the toxic alkaloid solanine and are therefore unsuitable for consumption. All new potato varieties are grown from seeds, also called "true potato seed", "TPS" or "botanical seed" to distinguish it from seed tubers. New varieties grown from seed can be propagated vegetatively by planting tubers, pieces of tubers cut to include at least one or two eyes, or cuttings, a practice used in greenhouses for the production of healthy seed tubers. Plants propagated from tubers are clones of the parent, whereas those propagated from seed produce a range of different varieties.

 

GENETICS

There are about 5,000 potato varieties worldwide. Three thousand of them are found in the Andes alone, mainly in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia. They belong to eight or nine species, depending on the taxonomic school. Apart from the 5,000 cultivated varieties, there are about 200 wild species and subspecies, many of which can be cross-bred with cultivated varieties. Cross-breeding has been done repeatedly to transfer resistances to certain pests and diseases from the gene pool of wild species to the gene pool of cultivated potato species. Genetically modified varieties have met public resistance in the United States and in the European UnionThe major species grown worldwide is Solanum tuberosum (a tetraploid with 48 chromosomes), and modern varieties of this species are the most widely cultivated. There are also four diploid species (with 24 chromosomes): S. stenotomum, S. phureja, S. goniocalyx, and S. ajanhuiri. There are two triploid species (with 36 chromosomes): S. chaucha and S. juzepczukii. There is one pentaploid cultivated species (with 60 chromosomes): S. curtilobum. There are two major subspecies of Solanum tuberosum: andigena, or Andean; and tuberosum, or Chilean. The Andean potato is adapted to the short-day conditions prevalent in the mountainous equatorial and tropical regions where it originated; the Chilean potato, however, native to the Chiloé Archipelago, is adapted to the long-day conditions prevalent in the higher latitude region of southern Chile.

 

The International Potato Center, based in Lima, Peru, holds an ISO-accredited collection of potato germplasm. The international Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium announced in 2009 that they had achieved a draft sequence of the potato genome. The potato genome contains 12 chromosomes and 860 million base pairs, making it a medium-sized plant genome. More than 99 percent of all current varieties of potatoes currently grown are direct descendants of a subspecies that once grew in the lowlands of south-central Chile. Nonetheless, genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species affirms that all potato subspecies derive from a single origin in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme Northwestern Bolivia (from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex). The wild Crop Wild Relatives Prebreeding project encourages the use of wild relatives in breeding programs. Enriching and preserving the gene bank collection to make potatoes adaptive to diverse environmental conditions is seen as a pressing issue due to climate change.

 

Most modern potatoes grown in North America arrived through European settlement and not independently from the South American sources, although at least one wild potato species, Solanum fendleri, naturally ranges from Peru into Texas, where it is used in breeding for resistance to a nematode species that attacks cultivated potatoes. A secondary center of genetic variability of the potato is Mexico, where important wild species that have been used extensively in modern breeding are found, such as the hexaploid Solanum demissum, as a source of resistance to the devastating late blight disease. Another relative native to this region, Solanum bulbocastanum, has been used to genetically engineer the potato to resist potato blight.

 

Potatoes yield abundantly with little effort, and adapt readily to diverse climates as long as the climate is cool and moist enough for the plants to gather sufficient water from the soil to form the starchy tubers. Potatoes do not keep very well in storage and are vulnerable to moulds that feed on the stored tubers and quickly turn them rotten, whereas crops such as grain can be stored for several years with a low risk of rot. The yield of Calories per acre (about 9.2 million) is higher than that of maize (7.5 million), rice (7.4 million), wheat (3 million), or soybean (2.8 million).

 

VARIETIES

There are close to 4,000 varieties of potato including common commercial varieties, each of which has specific agricultural or culinary attributes. Around 80 varieties are commercially available in the UK. In general, varieties are categorized into a few main groups based on common characteristics, such as russet potatoes (rough brown skin), red potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes (also called Yukon potatoes) and purple potatoes.

 

For culinary purposes, varieties are often differentiated by their waxiness: floury or mealy baking potatoes have more starch (20–22%) than waxy boiling potatoes (16–18%). The distinction may also arise from variation in the comparative ratio of two different potato starch compounds: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose, a long-chain molecule, diffuses from the starch granule when cooked in water, and lends itself to dishes where the potato is mashed. Varieties that contain a slightly higher amylopectin content, which is a highly branched molecule, help the potato retain its shape after being boiled in water. Potatoes that are good for making potato chips or potato crisps are sometimes called "chipping potatoes", which means they meet the basic requirements of similar varietal characteristics, being firm, fairly clean, and fairly well-shaped.

 

The European Cultivated Potato Database (ECPD) is an online collaborative database of potato variety descriptions that is updated and maintained by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency within the framework of the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR)—which is run by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).

 

PIGMENTATION

Dozens of potato cultivars have been selectively bred specifically for their skin or, more commonly, flesh color, including gold, red, and blue varieties that contain varying amounts of phytochemicals, including carotenoids for gold/yellow or polyphenols for red or blue cultivars. Carotenoid compounds include provitamin A alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, which are converted to the essential nutrient, vitamin A, during digestion. Anthocyanins mainly responsible for red or blue pigmentation in potato cultivars do not have nutritional significance, but are used for visual variety and consumer appeal. Recently, as of 2010, potatoes have also been bioengineered specifically for these pigmentation traits.

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED POTATOES

Genetic research has produced several genetically modified varieties. 'New Leaf', owned by Monsanto Company, incorporates genes from Bacillus thuringiensis, which confers resistance to the Colorado potato beetle; 'New Leaf Plus' and 'New Leaf Y', approved by US regulatory agencies during the 1990s, also include resistance to viruses. McDonald's, Burger King, Frito-Lay, and Procter & Gamble announced they would not use genetically modified potatoes, and Monsanto published its intent to discontinue the line in March 2001.

 

Waxy potato varieties produce two main kinds of potato starch, amylose and amylopectin, the latter of which is most industrially useful. BASF developed the Amflora potato, which was modified to express antisense RNA to inactivate the gene for granule bound starch synthase, an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of amylose. Amflora potatoes therefore produce starch consisting almost entirely of amylopectin, and are thus more useful for the starch industry. In 2010, the European Commission cleared the way for 'Amflora' to be grown in the European Union for industrial purposes only—not for food. Nevertheless, under EU rules, individual countries have the right to decide whether they will allow this potato to be grown on their territory. Commercial planting of 'Amflora' was expected in the Czech Republic and Germany in the spring of 2010, and Sweden and the Netherlands in subsequent years. Another GM potato variety developed by BASF is 'Fortuna' which was made resistant to late blight by adding two resistance genes, blb1 and blb2, which originate from the Mexican wild potato Solanum bulbocastanum. In October 2011 BASF requested cultivation and marketing approval as a feed and food from the EFSA. In 2012, GMO development in Europe was stopped by BASF.

 

In November 2014, the USDA approved a genetically modified potato developed by J.R. Simplot Company, which contains genetic modifications that prevent bruising and produce less acrylamide when fried than conventional potatoes; the modifications do not cause new proteins to be made, but rather prevent proteins from being made via RNA interference.

 

HISTORY

The potato was first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BC. It has since spread around the world and become a staple crop in many countries.

 

The earliest archaeologically verified potato tuber remains have been found at the coastal site of Ancon (central Peru), dating to 2500 BC. The most widely cultivated variety, Solanum tuberosum tuberosum, is indigenous to the Chiloé Archipelago, and has been cultivated by the local indigenous people since before the Spanish conquest.

 

According to conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato was responsible for a quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. In the Altiplano, potatoes provided the principal energy source for the Inca civilization, its predecessors, and its Spanish successor. Following the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century, part of the Columbian exchange. The staple was subsequently conveyed by European mariners to territories and ports throughout the world. The potato was slow to be adopted by European farmers, but soon enough it became an important food staple and field crop that played a major role in the European 19th century population boom. However, lack of genetic diversity, due to the very limited number of varieties initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a plant disease known as late blight, caused by the fungus-like oomycete Phytophthora infestans, spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland as well as parts of the Scottish Highlands, resulting in the crop failures that led to the Great Irish Famine. Thousands of varieties still persist in the Andes however, where over 100 cultivars might be found in a single valley, and a dozen or more might be maintained by a single agricultural household.

 

PRODUCTION

In 2016, world production of potatoes was 377 million tonnes, led by China with over 26% of the world total (see table). Other major producers were India, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. It remains an essential crop in Europe (especially eastern and central Europe), where per capita production is still the highest in the world, but the most rapid expansion over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia.

 

NUTRITION

A raw potato is 79% water, 17% carbohydrates (88% is starch), 2% protein, and contains negligible fat (see table). In an amount measuring 100 grams, raw potato provides 322 kilojoules (77 kilocalories) of energy and is a rich source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C (23% and 24% of the Daily Value, respectively), with no other vitamins or minerals in significant amount (see table). The potato is rarely eaten raw because raw potato starch is poorly digested by humans. When a potato is baked, its contents of vitamin B6 and vitamin C decline notably, while there is little significant change in the amount of other nutrients.

 

Potatoes are often broadly classified as having a high glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a low-GI diet. The GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on the cultivar or cultivar category (such as "red", russet, "white", or King Edward), growing conditions and storage, preparation methods (by cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole), and accompanying foods consumed (especially the addition of various high-fat or high-protein toppings). In particular, consuming reheated or cooled potatoes that were previously cooked may yield a lower GI effect.

 

In the UK, potatoes are not considered by the National Health Service (NHS) as counting or contributing towards the recommended daily five portions of fruit and vegetables, the 5-A-Day program.

 

COMPARISON TO OTHER STAPLE FOODS

This table shows the nutrient content of potatoes next to other major staple foods, each one measured in its respective raw state, even though staple foods are not commonly eaten raw and are usually sprouted or cooked before eating. In sprouted and cooked form, the relative nutritional and anti-nutritional contents of each of these grains (or other foods) may be different from the values in this table. Each nutrient (every row) has the highest number highlighted to show the staple food with the greatest amount in a 100-gram raw portion.

 

TOXICITY

Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Solanine is found in other plants in the same family, Solanaceae, which includes such plants as deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), as well as the food plants eggplant and tomato. These compounds, which protect the potato plant from its predators, are generally concentrated in its leaves, flowers, sprouts, and fruits (in contrast to the tubers). In a summary of several studies, the glycoalkaloid content was highest in the flowers and sprouts and lowest in the tuber flesh. (The glycoalkaloid content was, in order from highest to lowest: flowers, sprouts, leaves, skin, roots, berries, peel [skin plus outer cortex of tuber flesh], stems, and tuber flesh.)

 

Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber. Cooking at high temperatures—over 170 °C—partly destroys these compounds. The concentration of glycoalkaloids in wild potatoes is sufficient to produce toxic effects in humans. Glycoalkaloid poisoning may cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps, and, in severe cases, coma and death. However, poisoning from cultivated potato varieties is very rare. Light exposure causes greening from chlorophyll synthesis, giving a visual clue as to which areas of the tuber may have become more toxic. However, this does not provide a definitive guide, as greening and glycoalkaloid accumulation can occur independently of each other.

 

Different potato varieties contain different levels of glycoalkaloids. The Lenape variety was released in 1967 but was withdrawn in 1970 as it contained high levels of glycoalkaloids. Since then, breeders developing new varieties test for this, and sometimes have to discard an otherwise promising cultivar. Breeders try to keep glycoalkaloid levels below 200 mg/kg). However, when these commercial varieties turn green, they can still approach solanine concentrations of 1000 mg/kg. In normal potatoes, analysis has shown solanine levels may be as little as 3.5% of the breeders' maximum, with 7–187 mg/kg being found. While a normal potato tuber has 12–20 mg/kg of glycoalkaloid content, a green potato tuber contains 250–280 mg/kg and its skin has 1500–2200 mg/kg.

 

GROWTH AND CULTIVATION

SEED POTATOES

Potatoes are generally grown from seed potatoes, tubers specifically grown to be free from disease and to provide consistent and healthy plants. To be disease free, the areas where seed potatoes are grown are selected with care. In the US, this restricts production of seed potatoes to only 15 states out of all 50 states where potatoes are grown. These locations are selected for their cold, hard winters that kill pests and summers with long sunshine hours for optimum growth. In the UK, most seed potatoes originate in Scotland, in areas where westerly winds prevent aphid attack and thus prevent spread of potato virus pathogens.

 

PHASES OF GROWTH

Potato growth is divided into five phases. During the first phase, sprouts emerge from the seed potatoes and root growth begins. During the second, photosynthesis begins as the plant develops leaves and branches. In the third phase, stolons develop from lower leaf axils on the stem and grow downwards into the ground and on these stolons new tubers develop as swellings of the stolon. This phase is often, but not always, associated with flowering. Tuber formation halts when soil temperatures reach 27 °C; hence potatoes are considered a cool-season, or winter, crop. Tuber bulking occurs during the fourth phase, when the plant begins investing the majority of its resources in its newly formed tubers. At this phase, several factors are critical to a good yield: optimal soil moisture and temperature, soil nutrient availability and balance, and resistance to pest attacks. The fifth and final phase is the maturation of the tubers: the plant canopy dies back, the tuber skins harden, and the sugars in the tubers convert to starches.

 

CHALLENGES

New tubers may start growing at the surface of the soil. Since exposure to light leads to an undesirable greening of the skins and the development of solanine as a protection from the sun's rays, growers cover surface tubers. Commercial growers cover them by piling additional soil around the base of the plant as it grows (called "hilling" up, or in British English "earthing up"). An alternative method, used by home gardeners and smaller-scale growers, involves covering the growing area with organic mulches such as straw or plastic sheets.

 

Correct potato husbandry can be an arduous task in some circumstances. Good ground preparation, harrowing, plowing, and rolling are always needed, along with a little grace from the weather and a good source of water. Three successive plowings, with associated harrowing and rolling, are desirable before planting. Eliminating all root-weeds is desirable in potato cultivation. In general, the potatoes themselves are grown from the eyes of another potato and not from seed. Home gardeners often plant a piece of potato with two or three eyes in a hill of mounded soil. Commercial growers plant potatoes as a row crop using seed tubers, young plants or microtubers and may mound the entire row. Seed potato crops are rogued in some countries to eliminate diseased plants or those of a different variety from the seed crop.

 

Potatoes are sensitive to heavy frosts, which damage them in the ground. Even cold weather makes potatoes more susceptible to bruising and possibly later rotting, which can quickly ruin a large stored crop.

 

PESTS

The historically significant Phytophthora infestans (late blight) remains an ongoing problem in Europe and the United States. Other potato diseases include Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, black leg, powdery mildew, powdery scab and leafroll virus.

 

Insects that commonly transmit potato diseases or damage the plants include the Colorado potato beetle, the potato tuber moth, the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), the potato aphid, beet leafhoppers, thrips, and mites. The potato cyst nematode is a microscopic worm that thrives on the roots, thus causing the potato plants to wilt. Since its eggs can survive in the soil for several years, crop rotation is recommended.

 

During the crop year 2008, many of the certified organic potatoes produced in the United Kingdom and certified by the Soil Association as organic were sprayed with a copper pesticide to control potato blight (Phytophthora infestans). According to the Soil Association, the total copper that can be applied to organic land is 6 kg/ha/year.

 

According to an Environmental Working Group analysis of USDA and FDA pesticide residue tests performed from 2000 through 2008, 84% of the 2,216 tested potato samples contained detectable traces of at least one pesticide. A total of 36 unique pesticides were detected on potatoes over the 2,216 samples, though no individual sample contained more than 6 unique pesticide traces, and the average was 1.29 detectable unique pesticide traces per sample. The average quantity of all pesticide traces found in the 2,216 samples was 1.602 ppm. While this was a very low value of pesticide residue, it was the highest amongst the 50 vegetables analyzed.

 

HARVEST

At harvest time, gardeners usually dig up potatoes with a long-handled, three-prong "grape" (or graip), i.e., a spading fork, or a potato hook, which is similar to the graip but with tines at a 90° angle to the handle. In larger plots, the plow is the fastest implement for unearthing potatoes. Commercial harvesting is typically done with large potato harvesters, which scoop up the plant and surrounding earth. This is transported up an apron chain consisting of steel links several feet wide, which separates some of the dirt. The chain deposits into an area where further separation occurs. Different designs use different systems at this point. The most complex designs use vine choppers and shakers, along with a blower system to separate the potatoes from the plant. The result is then usually run past workers who continue to sort out plant material, stones, and rotten potatoes before the potatoes are continuously delivered to a wagon or truck. Further inspection and separation occurs when the potatoes are unloaded from the field vehicles and put into storage.

 

Immature potatoes may be sold as "creamer potatoes" and are particularly valued for taste. These are often harvested by the home gardener or farmer by "grabbling", i.e. pulling out the young tubers by hand while leaving the plant in place. A creamer potato is a variety of potato harvested before it matures to keep it small and tender. It is generally either a Yukon Gold potato or a red potato, called gold creamers or red creamers respectively, and measures approximately 2.5 cm in diameter. The skin of creamer potatoes is waxy and high in moisture content, and the flesh contains a lower level of starch than other potatoes. Like potatoes in general, they can be prepared by boiling, baking, frying, and roasting. Slightly older than creamer potatoes are "new potatoes", which are also prized for their taste and texture and often come from the same varieties.

 

Potatoes are usually cured after harvest to improve skin-set. Skin-set is the process by which the skin of the potato becomes resistant to skinning damage. Potato tubers may be susceptible to skinning at harvest and suffer skinning damage during harvest and handling operations. Curing allows the skin to fully set and any wounds to heal. Wound-healing prevents infection and water-loss from the tubers during storage. Curing is normally done at relatively warm temperatures 10 to 16 °C with high humidity and good gas-exchange if at all possible.

 

STORAGE

Storage facilities need to be carefully designed to keep the potatoes alive and slow the natural process of decomposition, which involves the breakdown of starch. It is crucial that the storage area is dark, ventilated well and, for long-term storage, maintained at temperatures near 4 °C. For short-term storage, temperatures of about 7 to 10 °C are preferred.

 

On the other hand, temperatures below 4 °C convert the starch in potatoes into sugar, which alters their taste and cooking qualities and leads to higher acrylamide levels in the cooked product, especially in deep-fried dishes. The discovery of acrylamides in starchy foods in 2002 has led to international health concerns. They are believed to be probable carcinogens and their occurrence in cooked foods is being studied for potentially influencing health problems.

 

Under optimum conditions in commercial warehouses, potatoes can be stored for up to 10–12 months. The commercial storage and retrieval of potatoes involves several phases: first drying surface moisture; wound healing at 85% to 95% relative humidity and temperatures below 25 °C; a staged cooling phase; a holding phase; and a reconditioning phase, during which the tubers are slowly warmed. Mechanical ventilation is used at various points during the process to prevent condensation and the accumulation of carbon dioxide.

 

When stored in homes unrefrigerated, the shelf life is usually a few weeks.

 

If potatoes develop green areas or start to sprout, trimming or peeling those green-colored parts is inadequate to remove copresent toxins, and such potatoes are no longer edible.

 

YIELD

The world dedicated 18.6 million ha in 2010 for potato cultivation. The average world farm yield for potato was 17.4 tonnes per hectare, in 2010. Potato farms in the United States were the most productive in 2010, with a nationwide average of 44.3 tonnes per hectare. United Kingdom was a close second.

 

New Zealand farmers have demonstrated some of the best commercial yields in the world, ranging between 60 and 80 tonnes per hectare, some reporting yields of 88 tonnes potatoes per hectare.

 

There is a big gap among various countries between high and low yields, even with the same variety of potato. Average potato yields in developed economies ranges between 38–44 tonnes per hectare. China and India accounted for over a third of world's production in 2010, and had yields of 14.7 and 19.9 tonnes per hectare respectively. The yield gap between farms in developing economies and developed economies represents an opportunity loss of over 400 million tonnes of potato, or an amount greater than 2010 world potato production. Potato crop yields are determined by factors such as the crop breed, seed age and quality, crop management practices and the plant environment. Improvements in one or more of these yield determinants, and a closure of the yield gap, can be a major boost to food supply and farmer incomes in the developing world.

 

USES

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to swell the starch granules. Most potato dishes are served hot but some are first cooked, then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips (crisps). Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes. Unlike many foods, potatoes can also be easily cooked in a microwave oven and still retain nearly all of their nutritional value, provided they are covered in ventilated plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping; this method produces a meal very similar to a steamed potato, while retaining the appearance of a conventionally baked potato. Potato chunks also commonly appear as a stew ingredient. Potatoes are boiled between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on size and type, to become soft.

 

OTHER THAN FOR EATING

Potatoes are also used for purposes other than eating by humans, for example:

 

Potatoes are used to brew alcoholic beverages such as vodka, poitín, or akvavit.

They are also used as fodder for livestock. Livestock-grade potatoes, considered too small and/or blemished to sell or market for human use but suitable for fodder use, have been called chats in some dialects. They may be stored in bins until use; they are sometimes ensiled. Some farmers prefer to steam them rather than feed them raw and are equipped to do so efficiently.

Potato starch is used in the food industry as a thickener and binder for soups and sauces, in the textile industry as an adhesive, and for the manufacturing of papers and boards.

Maine companies are exploring the possibilities of using waste potatoes to obtain polylactic acid for use in plastic products; other research projects seek ways to use the starch as a base for biodegradable packaging.

Potato skins, along with honey, are a folk remedy for burns in India. Burn centres in India have experimented with the use of the thin outer skin layer to protect burns while healing.

Potatoes (mainly Russets) are commonly used in plant research. The consistent parenchyma tissue, the clonal nature of the plant and the low metabolic activity provide a very nice "model tissue" for experimentation. Wound-response studies are often done on potato tuber tissue, as are electron transport experiments. In this respect, potato tuber tissue is similar to Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans and Escherichia coli: they are all "standard" research organisms.

Potatoes have been delivered with personalized messages as a novelty. Potato delivery services include Potato Parcel and Mail A Spud.

 

WIKIPEDIA

Highdown Gardens, near Worthing, West Sussex.

 

From Wikipedia -

The chokeberries (Aronia) are two to three species of deciduous shrubs in the family Rosaceae, native to eastern North America. They are most commonly found in wet woods and swamps.

 

Chokeberries are cultivated as ornamental plants and also because they are very high in antioxidant pigment compounds, like anthocyanins. The name "chokeberry" comes from the astringency of the fruits which are inedible when raw. The berries can be used to make wine, jam, syrup, juice, soft spreads, tea and tinctures. The fruits are eaten by birds (birds do not taste astringency and feed on them readily), which then disperse the seeds in their droppings.

The chokeberries are often mistakenly called chokecherries, which is the common name for Prunus virginiana. Further adding to the ambiguity, there is a cultivar of Prunus virginiana named 'Melanocarpa', easily confused with Aronia melanocarpa. Chokecherries are also high in antioxidant pigment compounds, like anthocyanins, further contributing to confusion. In fact, the two plants are only distantly related within the Rosaceae.

 

Identification and taxonomy

The leaves are alternate, simple, and oblanceolate with crenate margins and pinnate venation; in autumn the leaves turn a bold red color. Dark trichomes are present on the upper midrib surface. The flowers are small, with 5 petals and 5 sepals, and produced in corymbs of 10-25 together. Hypanthium is urn-shaped. The fruit is a small pome, with a very astringent, bitter flavor.

 

Aronia has been thought to be closely related to Photinia, and has been included in that genus in some classifications, but botanist Cornelis Kalkman observed that a combined genus should be under the older name Aronia. The combined genus contains about 65 species. In 2004, Kalkman expressed doubt about the monophyly of the combined group, and new molecular studies confirm this. They do not place these two genera together or even near one another.

In eastern North America, there are two well-known species, named after their fruit color, red chokeberry and black chokeberry, plus a purple chokeberry whose origin is a natural hybrid of the two.

 

Red chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia (Photinia pyrifolia), grows to 2–4m tall, rarely up to 6 m. Leaves are 5–8cm wide and densely pubescent on the underside. The flowers are white or pale pink, 1cm wide, with glandular sepals. The fruit is red, 4–10mm wide, persisting into winter.

 

Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

Black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa (Photinia melanocarpa), tends to be smaller, rarely exceeding 1m tall, rarely 3 m, and spreads readily by root sprouts. The leaves are smaller, not more than 6-cm wide, with terminal glands on leaf teeth and a glabrous underside. The flowers are white, 1.5cm wide, with glabrous sepals. The fruit is black, 6–9mm wide, not persisting into winter.

 

The Purple chokeberry, Aronia prunifolia (Photinia floribunda) apparently originated as a hybrid of the black and red chokeberries but might be more accurately considered a distinct species than a hybrid (see also nothospecies). Leaves are moderately pubescent on the underside. Few to no glands are present on the sepal surface. The fruit is dark purple to black, 7–10mm in width, not persisting into winter. There are purple chokeberry populations which seem to be self-sustaining independent of the two parent species – including an introduced one in northern Germany where neither parent species occurs –, leading botanist Alan Weakley to consider it a full species rather than a hybrid.] The range of the purple chokeberry is roughly that of the black chokeberry; it is found in areas (such as Michigan and Missouri) where the red chokeberry is not. It has been variously considered as a third species, a hybrid, or a variety of one of the other species, and has caused much confusion (for example, being misidentified as a red chokeberry).

 

Products and uses

The chokeberries are attractive ornamental plants for gardens. They are naturally understory and woodland edge plants, and grow well when planted under trees. Chokeberries are resistant to drought, insects, pollution, and disease. Several cultivars have been developed for garden planting, including A. arbutifolia 'Brilliant', selected for its striking fall leaf color. A. melanocarpa 'Viking' and 'Nero' were selected for larger fruit suitable for jam-making, and because they are self-fertile only one plant is needed to produce fruit.

 

Juice from these berries is astringent and not sweet, but high in vitamin C and antioxidants. The berries can be used to make wine, jam, syrup, juice, soft spreads, and tea. In The U.S. Aronia berries are used in mass-marketed juice blends for color and marketed for their antioxidant properties. In Poland they are dried to make an herbal tea. The tea is usually a blend with other more flavorful ingredients including blackcurrant. Aronia is also used as a flavoring or colorant for beverages or yogurts.

The red chokeberry's fruit is more palatable and can be eaten raw. It has a sweeter flavor than the black species and is used to make jam or pemmican.

 

Antioxidant qualities

Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) has attracted scientific interest due to its deep purple, almost black pigmentation that arises from dense contents of phenolic phytochemicals, especially anthocyanins. Total anthocyanin content in chokeberries is 1480 mg per 100 g of fresh berries, and proanthocyanidin concentration is 664 mg per 100 g. Both values are among the highest measured in plants to date.

The plant produces these pigments mainly in the skin of the berries to protect the pulp and seeds from constant exposure to ultraviolet radiation. By absorbing UV rays in the blue-purple spectrum, pigments filter intense sunlight and thereby have a role assuring regeneration of the species. Brightly colorful pigmentation also attracts birds and other animals to consume the fruit and disperse the seeds in their droppings.

Anthocyanins not only contribute toward chokeberry's astringent property (that would deter pests and infections) but also give Aronia melanocarpa extraordinary antioxidant strength that combats oxidative stress in the fruit during photosynthesis.

 

There is growing appreciation for consumers to increase their intake of antioxidant-rich plant foods from colorful sources like berries, tree or citrus fruits, vegetables, grains, and spices. Accordingly, a deep blue food source such as chokeberry yields anthocyanins in high concentrations per serving, indicating potential value as a functional food or nutraceutical.

Analysis of anthocyanins in chokeberries has identified the following individual chemicals (among hundreds known to exist in the plant kingdom): cyanidin-3-galactoside, epicatechin, caffeic acid, quercetin, delphinidin, petunidin, pelargonidin, peonidin, and malvidin. All these are members of the flavonoid category of antioxidant phenolics.

 

Efficacy in disease models

Chokeberries' rich antioxidant content may be beneficial as a dietary preventative for reducing the risk of diseases caused by oxidative stress. Among the models under evaluation where preliminary results show benefits of chokeberry anthocyanins are colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammation, gastric mucosal disorders (peptic ulcer), eye inflammation (uveitis) and liver failure.

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. When fresh and fully mature, it is about 5 mm in diameter and dark red, and contains a single seed, like all drupes. Peppercorns and the ground pepper derived from them may be described simply as pepper, or more precisely as black pepper (cooked and dried unripe fruit), green pepper (dried unripe fruit), or white pepper (ripe fruit seeds).

 

Black pepper is native to present-day Kerala in Southwestern India, and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. Vietnam is the world's largest producer and exporter of pepper, producing 34% of the world's crop, as of 2013.

 

Ground dried and cooked peppercorns have been used since antiquity, both for flavour and as a traditional medicine. Black pepper is the world's most traded spice, and is one of the most common spices added to cuisines around the world. Its spiciness is due to the chemical compound piperine, which is a different kind of spicy from the capsaicin characteristic of chili peppers. It is ubiquitous in the modern world as a seasoning, and is often paired with salt and available on dining tables in shakers.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The word pepper has roots in the Sanskrit word pippali for long pepper. Ancient Greek and Latin turned pippali into the Greek πέπερι peperi and then into the Latin piper, which the Romans used for both black pepper and long pepper, erroneously believing that both came from the same plant.

 

From its Sanskrit roots, today's "pepper" is derived from the Old English pipor and from Latin, which is the source of Romanian piper, Italian pepe, Dutch peper, German Pfeffer, French poivre, and other similar forms.

 

In the 16th century, people began using pepper to also mean the unrelated New World chili pepper (genus Capsicum). People have also used pepper in a figurative sense to mean "spirit" or "energy" at least as far back as the 1840s. In the early 20th century, this shortened to "pep".

 

VARIETIES

BLACK PEPPER

Black pepper is produced from the still-green, unripe drupes of the pepper plant. The drupes are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper, speeding the work of browning enzymes during drying. The drupes dry in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper skin around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dry, the spice is called black peppercorn. On some estates, the berries are separated from the stem by hand and then sun-dried without the boiling process.

 

Once the peppercorns are dried, pepper spirit and oil can be extracted from the berries by crushing them. Pepper spirit is used in many medicinal and beauty products. Pepper oil is also used as an ayurvedic massage oil and in certain beauty and herbal treatments.

 

WHITE PEPPER

White pepper consists solely of the seed of the ripe fruit of the pepper plant, with the thin darker-coloured skin (flesh) of the fruit removed. This is usually accomplished by a process known as retting, where fully ripe red pepper berries are soaked in water for about a week so the flesh of the peppercorn softens and decomposes; rubbing then removes what remains of the fruit, and the naked seed is dried. Sometimes alternative processes are used for removing the outer pepper from the seed, including removing the outer layer through mechanical, chemical, or biological methods.

 

Ground white pepper is used in Chinese and Thai cuisine, but also in salads, cream sauces, light-coloured sauces, and mashed potatoes (as a substitute, because black pepper would visibly stand out). However, white pepper actually has a different flavour from black pepper; it lacks certain compounds present in the outer layer of the drupe

 

GREEN PEPPER

Green pepper, like black pepper, is made from unripe drupes. Dried green peppercorns are treated in a way that retains the green colour, such as with sulphur dioxide, canning, or freeze-drying. Pickled peppercorns, also green, are unripe drupes preserved in brine or vinegar.

 

Fresh, unpreserved green pepper drupes, largely unknown (and unavailable) in the West, are used in some Asian cuisines, particularly Thai cuisine. Their flavour has been described as "spicy and fresh", with a "bright aroma". They decay quickly if not dried or preserved, making them unsuitable for international shipping.

 

WILD PEPPER

Wild pepper grows in the Western Ghats region of India. Into the 19th century, the forests contained expansive wild pepper vines, as recorded by the Scottish physician Francis Buchanan (also a botanist and geographer) in his book A journey from Madras through the countries of Mysore, Canara and Malabar (Volume III). However, deforestation resulted in wild pepper growing in more limited forest patches from Goa to Kerala, with the wild source gradually decreasing as the quality and yield of the cultivated variety improved. No successful grafting of commercial pepper on wild pepper has been achieved to date.

 

ORANGE PEPPER AND RED PEPPER

Orange pepper or red pepper usually consists of ripe red pepper drupes preserved in brine and vinegar. Ripe red peppercorns can also be dried using the same colour-preserving techniques used to produce green pepper.

Pink pepper and other plants

 

Pink peppercorns are the fruits of the Peruvian pepper tree, Schinus molle, or its relative, the Brazilian pepper tree, Schinus terebinthifolius, plants from a different family (Anacardiaceae). As they are members of the cashew family, they may cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, for persons with a tree nut allergy.

 

The bark of Drimys winteri ("canelo" or "winter's bark") is used as a substitute for pepper in cold and temperate regions of Chile and Argentina, where it is easily found and readily available. In New Zealand, the seeds of kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum), a relative of black pepper, are sometimes used as pepper; the leaves of Pseudowintera colorata ("mountain horopito") are another replacement for pepper. Several plants in the United States are also used as pepper substitutes, such as field pepperwort, least pepperwort, shepherd's purse, horseradish, and field pennycress.

 

PLANTS

The pepper plant is a perennial woody vine growing up to 4 m in height on supporting trees, poles, or trellises. It is a spreading vine, rooting readily where trailing stems touch the ground. The leaves are alternate, entire, 5 to 10 cm long and 3 to 6 cm across. The flowers are small, produced on pendulous spikes 4 to 8 cm long at the leaf nodes, the spikes lengthening up to 7 to 15 cm as the fruit matures. Pepper can be grown in soil that is neither too dry nor susceptible to flooding, moist, well-drained and rich in organic matter (the vines do not do too well over an altitude of 900 m above sea level). The plants are propagated by cuttings about 40 to 50 cm long, tied up to neighbouring trees or climbing frames at distances of about 2 m apart; trees with rough bark are favoured over those with smooth bark, as the pepper plants climb rough bark more readily. Competing plants are cleared away, leaving only sufficient trees to provide shade and permit free ventilation. The roots are covered in leaf mulch and manure, and the shoots are trimmed twice a year. On dry soils, the young plants require watering every other day during the dry season for the first three years. The plants bear fruit from the fourth or fifth year, and then typically for seven years. The cuttings are usually cultivars, selected both for yield and quality of fruit.

 

A single stem bears 20 to 30 fruiting spikes. The harvest begins as soon as one or two fruits at the base of the spikes begin to turn red, and before the fruit is fully mature, and still hard; if allowed to ripen completely, the fruit lose pungency, and ultimately fall off and are lost. The spikes are collected and spread out to dry in the sun, then the peppercorns are stripped off the spikes.

 

Black pepper is native either to Southeast Asia or South Asia. Within the genus Piper, it is most closely related to other Asian species such as P. caninum.

 

PRODUCTION AND TRADE

As of 2016, Vietnam was the world's largest producer and exporter of black peppercorns, producing 216,000 tonnes or 39% of the world total of 546,000 tonnes (table). Other major producers include Indonesia (15%), India (10%), and Brazil (10%). Global pepper production may vary annually according to crop management, disease, and weather. Vietnam dominates the export market, using almost none of its production domestically.

 

Peppercorns are among the most widely traded spice in the world, accounting for 20% of all spice imports.

 

HISTORY

Pepper is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been known to Indian cooking since at least 2000 BCE. J. Innes Miller notes that while pepper was grown in southern Thailand and in Malaysia, its most important source was India, particularly the Chera dynasty (Tamil dynasty) Malabar Coast, in what is now the state of Kerala. The lost ancient port city of Muziris in Kerala, famous for exporting black pepper and various other spices, gets mentioned in a number of classical historical sources. Peppercorns were a much-prized trade good, often referred to as "black gold" and used as a form of commodity money. The legacy of this trade remains in some Western legal systems that recognize the term "peppercorn rent" as a token payment for something that is, essentially, being given.

 

The ancient history of black pepper is often interlinked with (and confused with) that of long pepper, the dried fruit of closely related Piper longum. The Romans knew of both and often referred to either as just piper. In fact, the popularity of long pepper did not entirely decline until the discovery of the New World and of chili peppers. Chili peppers—some of which, when dried, are similar in shape and taste to long pepper—were easier to grow in a variety of locations more convenient to Europe.

 

Before the 16th century, pepper was being grown in Java, Sunda, Sumatra, Madagascar, Malaysia, and everywhere in Southeast Asia. These areas traded mainly with China, or used the pepper locally. Ports in the Malabar area also served as a stop-off point for much of the trade in other spices from farther east in the Indian Ocean. Following the British hegemony in India, virtually all of the black pepper found in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa was traded from Malabar region.

 

Black peppercorns were found stuffed in the nostrils of Ramesses II, placed there as part of the mummification rituals shortly after his death in 1213 BCE. Little else is known about the use of pepper in ancient Egypt and how it reached the Nile from South Asia.

 

Pepper (both long and black) was known in Greece at least as early as the fourth century BCE, though it was probably an uncommon and expensive item that only the very rich could afford.

 

By the time of the early Roman Empire, especially after Rome's conquest of Egypt in 30 BCE, open-ocean crossing of the Arabian Sea direct to Chera dynasty southern India's Malabar Coast was near routine. Details of this trading across the Indian Ocean have been passed down in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. According to the Greek geographer Strabo, the early empire sent a fleet of around 120 ships on an annual trip to India and back. The fleet timed its travel across the Arabian Sea to take advantage of the predictable monsoon winds. Returning from India, the ships travelled up the Red Sea, from where the cargo was carried overland or via the Nile-Red Sea canal to the Nile River, barged to Alexandria, and shipped from there to Italy and Rome. The rough geographical outlines of this same trade route would dominate the pepper trade into Europe for a millennium and a half to come.

 

With ships sailing directly to the Malabar coast, black pepper was now travelling a shorter trade route than long pepper, and the prices reflected it. Pliny the Elder's Natural History tells us the prices in Rome around 77 CE: "Long pepper ... is 15 denarii per pound, while that of white pepper is seven, and of black, four." Pliny also complains, "There is no year in which India does not drain the Roman Empire of 50 million sesterces", and further moralizes on pepper:

 

It is quite surprising that the use of pepper has come so much into fashion, seeing that in other substances which we use, it is sometimes their sweetness, and sometimes their appearance that has attracted our notice; whereas, pepper has nothing in it that can plead as a recommendation to either fruit or berry, its only desirable quality being a certain pungency; and yet it is for this that we import it all the way from India! Who was the first to make trial of it as an article of food? and who, I wonder, was the man that was not content to prepare himself by hunger only for the satisfying of a greedy appetite?

— Pliny, Natural History 12.14

 

He does not state whether the 50 million was the actual amount of money which found its way to India or the total retail cost of the items in Rome, and, elsewhere, he cites a figure of 100 million sesterces.

 

Black pepper was a well-known and widespread, if expensive, seasoning in the Roman Empire. Apicius' De re coquinaria, a third-century cookbook probably based at least partly on one from the first century CE, includes pepper in a majority of its recipes. Edward Gibbon wrote, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, that pepper was "a favorite ingredient of the most expensive Roman cookery".

 

POSTCLASSICAL EUROPE

Pepper was so valuable that it was often used as collateral or even currency. In the Dutch language, "pepper expensive" (peperduur) is an expression for something very expensive. Also in Hungarian, the term "a price of pepper" ("borsos ár") means something of extraordinary value. The taste for pepper (or the appreciation of its monetary value) was passed on to those who would see Rome fall. Alaric, king of the Visigoths, included 3,000 pounds of pepper as part of the ransom he demanded from Rome when he besieged the city in fifth century. After the fall of Rome, others took over the middle legs of the spice trade, first the Persians and then the Arabs; Innes Miller cites the account of Cosmas Indicopleustes, who travelled east to India, as proof that "pepper was still being exported from India in the sixth century". By the end of the Early Middle Ages, the central portions of the spice trade were firmly under Islamic control. Once into the Mediterranean, the trade was largely monopolized by Italian powers, especially Venice and Genoa. The rise of these city-states was funded in large part by the spice trade.

 

A riddle authored by Saint Aldhelm, a seventh-century Bishop of Sherborne, sheds some light on black pepper's role in England at that time:

 

I am black on the outside, clad in a wrinkled cover,

Yet within I bear a burning marrow.

I season delicacies, the banquets of kings, and the luxuries of the table,

Both the sauces and the tenderized meats of the kitchen.

But you will find in me no quality of any worth,

Unless your bowels have been rattled by my gleaming marrow.

 

It is commonly believed that during the Middle Ages, pepper was often used to conceal the taste of partially rotten meat. No evidence supports this claim, and historians view it as highly unlikely; in the Middle Ages, pepper was a luxury item, affordable only to the wealthy, who certainly had unspoiled meat available, as well. In addition, people of the time certainly knew that eating spoiled food would make them sick. Similarly, the belief that pepper was widely used as a preservative is questionable; it is true that piperine, the compound that gives pepper its spiciness, has some antimicrobial properties, but at the concentrations present when pepper is used as a spice, the effect is small. Salt is a much more effective preservative, and salt-cured meats were common fare, especially in winter. However, pepper and other spices certainly played a role in improving the taste of long-preserved meats.

 

Its exorbitant price during the Middle Ages—and the monopoly on the trade held by Italy—was one of the inducements that led the Portuguese to seek a sea route to India. In 1498, Vasco da Gama became the first person to reach India by sailing around Africa (see Age of Discovery); asked by Arabs in Calicut (who spoke Spanish and Italian) why they had come, his representative replied, "we seek Christians and spices". Though this first trip to India by way of the southern tip of Africa was only a modest success, the Portuguese quickly returned in greater numbers and eventually gained much greater control of trade on the Arabian Sea. The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas with the Spanish granted Portugal exclusive rights to the half of the world where black pepper originated.

 

Unsurprisingly, the Portuguese proved unable to monopolize the spice trade. Older Arab and Venetian trade networks successfully imported enormous quantities of spices, and pepper once again flowed through Alexandria and Italy, as well as around Africa. In the 17th century, the Portuguese lost almost all of their valuable Indian Ocean trade to the Dutch and the English, who, taking advantage from the Spanish ruling over Portugal during Iberian Union (1580–1640), occupied by force almost all Portuguese dominations in the area. The pepper ports of Malabar began to trade increasingly with the Dutch in the period 1661–1663.

As pepper supplies into Europe increased, the price of pepper declined (though the total value of the import trade generally did not). Pepper, which in the early Middle Ages had been an item exclusively for the rich, started to become more of an everyday seasoning among those of more average means. Today, pepper accounts for one-fifth of the world's spice trade.

China

 

It is possible that black pepper was known in China in the second century BCE, if poetic reports regarding an explorer named Tang Meng (唐蒙) are correct. Sent by Emperor Wu to what is now south-west China, Tang Meng is said to have come across something called jujiang or "sauce-betel". He was told it came from the markets of Shu, an area in what is now the Sichuan province. The traditional view among historians is that "sauce-betel" is a sauce made from betel leaves, but arguments have been made that it actually refers to pepper, either long or black.

 

In the third century CE, black pepper made its first definite appearance in Chinese texts, as hujiao or "foreign pepper". It does not appear to have been widely known at the time, failing to appear in a fourth-century work describing a wide variety of spices from beyond China's southern border, including long pepper. By the 12th century, however, black pepper had become a popular ingredient in the cuisine of the wealthy and powerful, sometimes taking the place of China's native Sichuan pepper (the tongue-numbing dried fruit of an unrelated plant).

 

Marco Polo testifies to pepper's popularity in 13th-century China, when he relates what he is told of its consumption in the city of Kinsay (Hangzhou): "... Messer Marco heard it stated by one of the Great Kaan's officers of customs that the quantity of pepper introduced daily for consumption into the city of Kinsay amounted to 43 loads, each load being equal to 223 lbs." Marco Polo is not considered a very reliable source regarding China, and these second-hand data may be even more suspect, but if this estimated 4,500 kg a day for one city is anywhere near the truth, China's pepper imports may have dwarfed Europe's.

 

During the course of the Ming treasure voyages in the early 15th century, Admiral Zheng He and his expeditionary fleets returned with such a large amount of black pepper that the once-costly luxury became a common commodity.

Phytochemicals, folk medicine and research

 

Like many eastern spices, pepper was historically both a seasoning and a folk medicine. Long pepper, being stronger, was often the preferred medication, but both were used. Black pepper (or perhaps long pepper) was believed to cure several illnesses, such as constipation, insomnia, oral abscesses, sunburn, and toothaches, among others. Various sources from the fifth century onward recommended pepper to treat eye problems, often by applying salves or poultices made with pepper directly to the eye. No current medical evidence indicates any of these treatments has any benefit.

 

Pepper is known to cause sneezing. Some sources say that piperine, a substance present in black pepper, irritates the nostrils, causing the sneezing. Few, if any, controlled studies have been carried out to answer the question.

 

Piperine is under study for its potential to increase absorption of selenium, vitamin B12, beta-carotene and curcumin, as well as other compounds. As a folk medicine, pepper appears in the Buddhist Samaññaphala Sutta, chapter five, as one of the few medicines a monk is allowed to carry. Pepper contains phytochemicals, including amides, piperidines, pyrrolidines and trace amounts of safrole, which may be carcinogenic in laboratory rodents.

 

Piperine is also under study for a variety of possible physiological effects, although this work is preliminary and mechanisms of activity for piperine in the human body remain unknown.

 

NUTRITION

One tablespoon (6 grams) of ground black pepper contains moderate amounts of vitamin K (13% of the daily value or DV), iron (10% DV) and manganese (18% DV), with trace amounts of other essential nutrients, protein, and dietary fibre.

 

FLAVOR

Pepper gets its spicy heat mostly from piperine derived both from the outer fruit and the seed. Black pepper contains between 4.6 and 9.7% piperine by mass, and white pepper slightly more than that. Refined piperine, by weight, is about one percent as hot as the capsaicin found in chili peppers. The outer fruit layer, left on black pepper, also contains aroma-contributing terpenes, including germacrene (11%), limonene (10%), pinene (10%), alpha-phellandrene (9%), and beta-caryophyllene (7%), which give citrusy, woody, and floral notes. These scents are mostly missing in white pepper, as the fermentation and other processing removes the fruit layer (which also contains the spicy piperine). Other flavors also commonly develop in this process, some of which are described as off-flavors when in excess: Primarily 3-methylindole (pig manure-like), 4-methylphenol (horse manure), 3-methylphenol (phenolic), and butanoic acid (cheese). The aroma of pepper is attributed to rotundone (3,4,5,6,7,8-Hexahydro-3α,8α-dimethyl-5α-(1methylethenyl)azulene-1(2H)-one), a sesquiterpene originally discovered in the tubers of Cyperus rotundus, which can be detected in concentrations of 0.4 nanograms/l in water and in wine: rotundone is also present in marjoram, oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme, and geranium, as well as in some Shiraz wines.

 

Pepper loses flavor and aroma through evaporation, so airtight storage helps preserve its spiciness longer. Pepper can also lose flavor when exposed to light, which can transform piperine into nearly tasteless isochavicine. Once ground, pepper's aromatics can evaporate quickly; most culinary sources recommend grinding whole peppercorns immediately before use for this reason. Handheld pepper mills or grinders, which mechanically grind or crush whole peppercorns, are used for this as an alternative to pepper shakers that dispense ground pepper. Spice mills such as pepper mills were found in European kitchens as early as the 14th century, but the mortar and pestle used earlier for crushing pepper have remained a popular method for centuries, as well.

 

Enhancing the flavor profile of peppercorns (including piperine and essential oils), prior to processing, has been attempted through the postharvest application of ultraviolet-C light (UV-C).

 

WIKIPEDIA

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. In many contexts, potato refers to the edible tuber, but it can also refer to the plant itself. Common or slang terms include tater, tattie and spud. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Today they are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world's fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice.

 

Wild potato species can be found throughout the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile. The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated independently in multiple locations, but later genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species traced a single origin for potatoes. In the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia, from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex, potatoes were domesticated approximately 7,000–10,000 years ago. In the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultivated.

 

Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 1,000 different types of potatoes. Over 99% of presently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile, which have displaced formerly popular varieties from the Andes.

 

The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary ingredient varies by region and is still changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe, especially eastern and central Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world in overall production as of 2014.

 

Being a nightshade similar to tomatoes, the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine and are not fit for human consumption. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in amounts small enough to be negligible to human health, but if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to affect human health.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The English word potato comes from Spanish patata (the name used in Spain). The Spanish Royal Academy says the Spanish word is a hybrid of the Taíno batata (sweet potato) and the Quechua papa (potato). The name originally referred to the sweet potato although the two plants are not closely related. The 16th-century English herbalist John Gerard referred to sweet potatoes as "common potatoes", and used the terms "bastard potatoes" and "Virginia potatoes" for the species we now call "potato". In many of the chronicles detailing agriculture and plants, no distinction is made between the two. Potatoes are occasionally referred to as "Irish potatoes" or "white potatoes" in the United States, to distinguish them from sweet potatoes.

 

The name spud for a small potato comes from the digging of soil (or a hole) prior to the planting of potatoes. The word has an unknown origin and was originally (c. 1440) used as a term for a short knife or dagger, probably related to the Latin "spad-" a word root meaning "sword"; cf. Spanish "espada", English "spade" and "spadroon". It subsequently transferred over to a variety of digging tools. Around 1845, the name transferred to the tuber itself, the first record of this usage being in New Zealand English. The origin of the word "spud" has erroneously been attributed to an 18th-century activist group dedicated to keeping the potato out of Britain, calling itself The Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet (S.P.U.D.). It was Mario Pei's 1949 The Story of Language that can be blamed for the word's false origin. Pei writes, "the potato, for its part, was in disrepute some centuries ago. Some Englishmen who did not fancy potatoes formed a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet. The initials of the main words in this title gave rise to spud." Like most other pre-20th century acronymic origins, this is false, and there is no evidence that a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet ever existed.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Potato plants are herbaceous perennials that grow about 60 cm high, depending on variety, with the leaves dying back after flowering, fruiting and tuber formation. They bear white, pink, red, blue, or purple flowers with yellow stamens. In general, the tubers of varieties with white flowers have white skins, while those of varieties with colored flowers tend to have pinkish skins. Potatoes are mostly cross-pollinated by insects such as bumblebees, which carry pollen from other potato plants, though a substantial amount of self-fertilizing occurs as well. Tubers form in response to decreasing day length, although this tendency has been minimized in commercial varieties.

 

After flowering, potato plants produce small green fruits that resemble green cherry tomatoes, each containing about 300 seeds. Like all parts of the plant except the tubers, the fruit contain the toxic alkaloid solanine and are therefore unsuitable for consumption. All new potato varieties are grown from seeds, also called "true potato seed", "TPS" or "botanical seed" to distinguish it from seed tubers. New varieties grown from seed can be propagated vegetatively by planting tubers, pieces of tubers cut to include at least one or two eyes, or cuttings, a practice used in greenhouses for the production of healthy seed tubers. Plants propagated from tubers are clones of the parent, whereas those propagated from seed produce a range of different varieties.

 

GENETICS

There are about 5,000 potato varieties worldwide. Three thousand of them are found in the Andes alone, mainly in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia. They belong to eight or nine species, depending on the taxonomic school. Apart from the 5,000 cultivated varieties, there are about 200 wild species and subspecies, many of which can be cross-bred with cultivated varieties. Cross-breeding has been done repeatedly to transfer resistances to certain pests and diseases from the gene pool of wild species to the gene pool of cultivated potato species. Genetically modified varieties have met public resistance in the United States and in the European UnionThe major species grown worldwide is Solanum tuberosum (a tetraploid with 48 chromosomes), and modern varieties of this species are the most widely cultivated. There are also four diploid species (with 24 chromosomes): S. stenotomum, S. phureja, S. goniocalyx, and S. ajanhuiri. There are two triploid species (with 36 chromosomes): S. chaucha and S. juzepczukii. There is one pentaploid cultivated species (with 60 chromosomes): S. curtilobum. There are two major subspecies of Solanum tuberosum: andigena, or Andean; and tuberosum, or Chilean. The Andean potato is adapted to the short-day conditions prevalent in the mountainous equatorial and tropical regions where it originated; the Chilean potato, however, native to the Chiloé Archipelago, is adapted to the long-day conditions prevalent in the higher latitude region of southern Chile.

 

The International Potato Center, based in Lima, Peru, holds an ISO-accredited collection of potato germplasm. The international Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium announced in 2009 that they had achieved a draft sequence of the potato genome. The potato genome contains 12 chromosomes and 860 million base pairs, making it a medium-sized plant genome. More than 99 percent of all current varieties of potatoes currently grown are direct descendants of a subspecies that once grew in the lowlands of south-central Chile. Nonetheless, genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species affirms that all potato subspecies derive from a single origin in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme Northwestern Bolivia (from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex). The wild Crop Wild Relatives Prebreeding project encourages the use of wild relatives in breeding programs. Enriching and preserving the gene bank collection to make potatoes adaptive to diverse environmental conditions is seen as a pressing issue due to climate change.

 

Most modern potatoes grown in North America arrived through European settlement and not independently from the South American sources, although at least one wild potato species, Solanum fendleri, naturally ranges from Peru into Texas, where it is used in breeding for resistance to a nematode species that attacks cultivated potatoes. A secondary center of genetic variability of the potato is Mexico, where important wild species that have been used extensively in modern breeding are found, such as the hexaploid Solanum demissum, as a source of resistance to the devastating late blight disease. Another relative native to this region, Solanum bulbocastanum, has been used to genetically engineer the potato to resist potato blight.

 

Potatoes yield abundantly with little effort, and adapt readily to diverse climates as long as the climate is cool and moist enough for the plants to gather sufficient water from the soil to form the starchy tubers. Potatoes do not keep very well in storage and are vulnerable to moulds that feed on the stored tubers and quickly turn them rotten, whereas crops such as grain can be stored for several years with a low risk of rot. The yield of Calories per acre (about 9.2 million) is higher than that of maize (7.5 million), rice (7.4 million), wheat (3 million), or soybean (2.8 million).

 

VARIETIES

There are close to 4,000 varieties of potato including common commercial varieties, each of which has specific agricultural or culinary attributes. Around 80 varieties are commercially available in the UK. In general, varieties are categorized into a few main groups based on common characteristics, such as russet potatoes (rough brown skin), red potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes (also called Yukon potatoes) and purple potatoes.

 

For culinary purposes, varieties are often differentiated by their waxiness: floury or mealy baking potatoes have more starch (20–22%) than waxy boiling potatoes (16–18%). The distinction may also arise from variation in the comparative ratio of two different potato starch compounds: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose, a long-chain molecule, diffuses from the starch granule when cooked in water, and lends itself to dishes where the potato is mashed. Varieties that contain a slightly higher amylopectin content, which is a highly branched molecule, help the potato retain its shape after being boiled in water. Potatoes that are good for making potato chips or potato crisps are sometimes called "chipping potatoes", which means they meet the basic requirements of similar varietal characteristics, being firm, fairly clean, and fairly well-shaped.

 

The European Cultivated Potato Database (ECPD) is an online collaborative database of potato variety descriptions that is updated and maintained by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency within the framework of the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR)—which is run by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).

 

PIGMENTATION

Dozens of potato cultivars have been selectively bred specifically for their skin or, more commonly, flesh color, including gold, red, and blue varieties that contain varying amounts of phytochemicals, including carotenoids for gold/yellow or polyphenols for red or blue cultivars. Carotenoid compounds include provitamin A alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, which are converted to the essential nutrient, vitamin A, during digestion. Anthocyanins mainly responsible for red or blue pigmentation in potato cultivars do not have nutritional significance, but are used for visual variety and consumer appeal. Recently, as of 2010, potatoes have also been bioengineered specifically for these pigmentation traits.

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED POTATOES

Genetic research has produced several genetically modified varieties. 'New Leaf', owned by Monsanto Company, incorporates genes from Bacillus thuringiensis, which confers resistance to the Colorado potato beetle; 'New Leaf Plus' and 'New Leaf Y', approved by US regulatory agencies during the 1990s, also include resistance to viruses. McDonald's, Burger King, Frito-Lay, and Procter & Gamble announced they would not use genetically modified potatoes, and Monsanto published its intent to discontinue the line in March 2001.

 

Waxy potato varieties produce two main kinds of potato starch, amylose and amylopectin, the latter of which is most industrially useful. BASF developed the Amflora potato, which was modified to express antisense RNA to inactivate the gene for granule bound starch synthase, an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of amylose. Amflora potatoes therefore produce starch consisting almost entirely of amylopectin, and are thus more useful for the starch industry. In 2010, the European Commission cleared the way for 'Amflora' to be grown in the European Union for industrial purposes only—not for food. Nevertheless, under EU rules, individual countries have the right to decide whether they will allow this potato to be grown on their territory. Commercial planting of 'Amflora' was expected in the Czech Republic and Germany in the spring of 2010, and Sweden and the Netherlands in subsequent years. Another GM potato variety developed by BASF is 'Fortuna' which was made resistant to late blight by adding two resistance genes, blb1 and blb2, which originate from the Mexican wild potato Solanum bulbocastanum. In October 2011 BASF requested cultivation and marketing approval as a feed and food from the EFSA. In 2012, GMO development in Europe was stopped by BASF.

 

In November 2014, the USDA approved a genetically modified potato developed by J.R. Simplot Company, which contains genetic modifications that prevent bruising and produce less acrylamide when fried than conventional potatoes; the modifications do not cause new proteins to be made, but rather prevent proteins from being made via RNA interference.

 

HISTORY

The potato was first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BC. It has since spread around the world and become a staple crop in many countries.

 

The earliest archaeologically verified potato tuber remains have been found at the coastal site of Ancon (central Peru), dating to 2500 BC. The most widely cultivated variety, Solanum tuberosum tuberosum, is indigenous to the Chiloé Archipelago, and has been cultivated by the local indigenous people since before the Spanish conquest.

 

According to conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato was responsible for a quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. In the Altiplano, potatoes provided the principal energy source for the Inca civilization, its predecessors, and its Spanish successor. Following the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century, part of the Columbian exchange. The staple was subsequently conveyed by European mariners to territories and ports throughout the world. The potato was slow to be adopted by European farmers, but soon enough it became an important food staple and field crop that played a major role in the European 19th century population boom. However, lack of genetic diversity, due to the very limited number of varieties initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a plant disease known as late blight, caused by the fungus-like oomycete Phytophthora infestans, spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland as well as parts of the Scottish Highlands, resulting in the crop failures that led to the Great Irish Famine. Thousands of varieties still persist in the Andes however, where over 100 cultivars might be found in a single valley, and a dozen or more might be maintained by a single agricultural household.

 

PRODUCTION

In 2016, world production of potatoes was 377 million tonnes, led by China with over 26% of the world total (see table). Other major producers were India, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. It remains an essential crop in Europe (especially eastern and central Europe), where per capita production is still the highest in the world, but the most rapid expansion over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia.

 

NUTRITION

A raw potato is 79% water, 17% carbohydrates (88% is starch), 2% protein, and contains negligible fat (see table). In an amount measuring 100 grams, raw potato provides 322 kilojoules (77 kilocalories) of energy and is a rich source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C (23% and 24% of the Daily Value, respectively), with no other vitamins or minerals in significant amount (see table). The potato is rarely eaten raw because raw potato starch is poorly digested by humans. When a potato is baked, its contents of vitamin B6 and vitamin C decline notably, while there is little significant change in the amount of other nutrients.

 

Potatoes are often broadly classified as having a high glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a low-GI diet. The GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on the cultivar or cultivar category (such as "red", russet, "white", or King Edward), growing conditions and storage, preparation methods (by cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole), and accompanying foods consumed (especially the addition of various high-fat or high-protein toppings). In particular, consuming reheated or cooled potatoes that were previously cooked may yield a lower GI effect.

 

In the UK, potatoes are not considered by the National Health Service (NHS) as counting or contributing towards the recommended daily five portions of fruit and vegetables, the 5-A-Day program.

 

COMPARISON TO OTHER STAPLE FOODS

This table shows the nutrient content of potatoes next to other major staple foods, each one measured in its respective raw state, even though staple foods are not commonly eaten raw and are usually sprouted or cooked before eating. In sprouted and cooked form, the relative nutritional and anti-nutritional contents of each of these grains (or other foods) may be different from the values in this table. Each nutrient (every row) has the highest number highlighted to show the staple food with the greatest amount in a 100-gram raw portion.

 

TOXICITY

Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Solanine is found in other plants in the same family, Solanaceae, which includes such plants as deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), as well as the food plants eggplant and tomato. These compounds, which protect the potato plant from its predators, are generally concentrated in its leaves, flowers, sprouts, and fruits (in contrast to the tubers). In a summary of several studies, the glycoalkaloid content was highest in the flowers and sprouts and lowest in the tuber flesh. (The glycoalkaloid content was, in order from highest to lowest: flowers, sprouts, leaves, skin, roots, berries, peel [skin plus outer cortex of tuber flesh], stems, and tuber flesh.)

 

Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber. Cooking at high temperatures—over 170 °C—partly destroys these compounds. The concentration of glycoalkaloids in wild potatoes is sufficient to produce toxic effects in humans. Glycoalkaloid poisoning may cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps, and, in severe cases, coma and death. However, poisoning from cultivated potato varieties is very rare. Light exposure causes greening from chlorophyll synthesis, giving a visual clue as to which areas of the tuber may have become more toxic. However, this does not provide a definitive guide, as greening and glycoalkaloid accumulation can occur independently of each other.

 

Different potato varieties contain different levels of glycoalkaloids. The Lenape variety was released in 1967 but was withdrawn in 1970 as it contained high levels of glycoalkaloids. Since then, breeders developing new varieties test for this, and sometimes have to discard an otherwise promising cultivar. Breeders try to keep glycoalkaloid levels below 200 mg/kg). However, when these commercial varieties turn green, they can still approach solanine concentrations of 1000 mg/kg. In normal potatoes, analysis has shown solanine levels may be as little as 3.5% of the breeders' maximum, with 7–187 mg/kg being found. While a normal potato tuber has 12–20 mg/kg of glycoalkaloid content, a green potato tuber contains 250–280 mg/kg and its skin has 1500–2200 mg/kg.

 

GROWTH AND CULTIVATION

SEED POTATOES

Potatoes are generally grown from seed potatoes, tubers specifically grown to be free from disease and to provide consistent and healthy plants. To be disease free, the areas where seed potatoes are grown are selected with care. In the US, this restricts production of seed potatoes to only 15 states out of all 50 states where potatoes are grown. These locations are selected for their cold, hard winters that kill pests and summers with long sunshine hours for optimum growth. In the UK, most seed potatoes originate in Scotland, in areas where westerly winds prevent aphid attack and thus prevent spread of potato virus pathogens.

 

PHASES OF GROWTH

Potato growth is divided into five phases. During the first phase, sprouts emerge from the seed potatoes and root growth begins. During the second, photosynthesis begins as the plant develops leaves and branches. In the third phase, stolons develop from lower leaf axils on the stem and grow downwards into the ground and on these stolons new tubers develop as swellings of the stolon. This phase is often, but not always, associated with flowering. Tuber formation halts when soil temperatures reach 27 °C; hence potatoes are considered a cool-season, or winter, crop. Tuber bulking occurs during the fourth phase, when the plant begins investing the majority of its resources in its newly formed tubers. At this phase, several factors are critical to a good yield: optimal soil moisture and temperature, soil nutrient availability and balance, and resistance to pest attacks. The fifth and final phase is the maturation of the tubers: the plant canopy dies back, the tuber skins harden, and the sugars in the tubers convert to starches.

 

CHALLENGES

New tubers may start growing at the surface of the soil. Since exposure to light leads to an undesirable greening of the skins and the development of solanine as a protection from the sun's rays, growers cover surface tubers. Commercial growers cover them by piling additional soil around the base of the plant as it grows (called "hilling" up, or in British English "earthing up"). An alternative method, used by home gardeners and smaller-scale growers, involves covering the growing area with organic mulches such as straw or plastic sheets.

 

Correct potato husbandry can be an arduous task in some circumstances. Good ground preparation, harrowing, plowing, and rolling are always needed, along with a little grace from the weather and a good source of water. Three successive plowings, with associated harrowing and rolling, are desirable before planting. Eliminating all root-weeds is desirable in potato cultivation. In general, the potatoes themselves are grown from the eyes of another potato and not from seed. Home gardeners often plant a piece of potato with two or three eyes in a hill of mounded soil. Commercial growers plant potatoes as a row crop using seed tubers, young plants or microtubers and may mound the entire row. Seed potato crops are rogued in some countries to eliminate diseased plants or those of a different variety from the seed crop.

 

Potatoes are sensitive to heavy frosts, which damage them in the ground. Even cold weather makes potatoes more susceptible to bruising and possibly later rotting, which can quickly ruin a large stored crop.

 

PESTS

The historically significant Phytophthora infestans (late blight) remains an ongoing problem in Europe and the United States. Other potato diseases include Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, black leg, powdery mildew, powdery scab and leafroll virus.

 

Insects that commonly transmit potato diseases or damage the plants include the Colorado potato beetle, the potato tuber moth, the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), the potato aphid, beet leafhoppers, thrips, and mites. The potato cyst nematode is a microscopic worm that thrives on the roots, thus causing the potato plants to wilt. Since its eggs can survive in the soil for several years, crop rotation is recommended.

 

During the crop year 2008, many of the certified organic potatoes produced in the United Kingdom and certified by the Soil Association as organic were sprayed with a copper pesticide to control potato blight (Phytophthora infestans). According to the Soil Association, the total copper that can be applied to organic land is 6 kg/ha/year.

 

According to an Environmental Working Group analysis of USDA and FDA pesticide residue tests performed from 2000 through 2008, 84% of the 2,216 tested potato samples contained detectable traces of at least one pesticide. A total of 36 unique pesticides were detected on potatoes over the 2,216 samples, though no individual sample contained more than 6 unique pesticide traces, and the average was 1.29 detectable unique pesticide traces per sample. The average quantity of all pesticide traces found in the 2,216 samples was 1.602 ppm. While this was a very low value of pesticide residue, it was the highest amongst the 50 vegetables analyzed.

 

HARVEST

At harvest time, gardeners usually dig up potatoes with a long-handled, three-prong "grape" (or graip), i.e., a spading fork, or a potato hook, which is similar to the graip but with tines at a 90° angle to the handle. In larger plots, the plow is the fastest implement for unearthing potatoes. Commercial harvesting is typically done with large potato harvesters, which scoop up the plant and surrounding earth. This is transported up an apron chain consisting of steel links several feet wide, which separates some of the dirt. The chain deposits into an area where further separation occurs. Different designs use different systems at this point. The most complex designs use vine choppers and shakers, along with a blower system to separate the potatoes from the plant. The result is then usually run past workers who continue to sort out plant material, stones, and rotten potatoes before the potatoes are continuously delivered to a wagon or truck. Further inspection and separation occurs when the potatoes are unloaded from the field vehicles and put into storage.

 

Immature potatoes may be sold as "creamer potatoes" and are particularly valued for taste. These are often harvested by the home gardener or farmer by "grabbling", i.e. pulling out the young tubers by hand while leaving the plant in place. A creamer potato is a variety of potato harvested before it matures to keep it small and tender. It is generally either a Yukon Gold potato or a red potato, called gold creamers or red creamers respectively, and measures approximately 2.5 cm in diameter. The skin of creamer potatoes is waxy and high in moisture content, and the flesh contains a lower level of starch than other potatoes. Like potatoes in general, they can be prepared by boiling, baking, frying, and roasting. Slightly older than creamer potatoes are "new potatoes", which are also prized for their taste and texture and often come from the same varieties.

 

Potatoes are usually cured after harvest to improve skin-set. Skin-set is the process by which the skin of the potato becomes resistant to skinning damage. Potato tubers may be susceptible to skinning at harvest and suffer skinning damage during harvest and handling operations. Curing allows the skin to fully set and any wounds to heal. Wound-healing prevents infection and water-loss from the tubers during storage. Curing is normally done at relatively warm temperatures 10 to 16 °C with high humidity and good gas-exchange if at all possible.

 

STORAGE

Storage facilities need to be carefully designed to keep the potatoes alive and slow the natural process of decomposition, which involves the breakdown of starch. It is crucial that the storage area is dark, ventilated well and, for long-term storage, maintained at temperatures near 4 °C. For short-term storage, temperatures of about 7 to 10 °C are preferred.

 

On the other hand, temperatures below 4 °C convert the starch in potatoes into sugar, which alters their taste and cooking qualities and leads to higher acrylamide levels in the cooked product, especially in deep-fried dishes. The discovery of acrylamides in starchy foods in 2002 has led to international health concerns. They are believed to be probable carcinogens and their occurrence in cooked foods is being studied for potentially influencing health problems.

 

Under optimum conditions in commercial warehouses, potatoes can be stored for up to 10–12 months. The commercial storage and retrieval of potatoes involves several phases: first drying surface moisture; wound healing at 85% to 95% relative humidity and temperatures below 25 °C; a staged cooling phase; a holding phase; and a reconditioning phase, during which the tubers are slowly warmed. Mechanical ventilation is used at various points during the process to prevent condensation and the accumulation of carbon dioxide.

 

When stored in homes unrefrigerated, the shelf life is usually a few weeks.

 

If potatoes develop green areas or start to sprout, trimming or peeling those green-colored parts is inadequate to remove copresent toxins, and such potatoes are no longer edible.

 

YIELD

The world dedicated 18.6 million ha in 2010 for potato cultivation. The average world farm yield for potato was 17.4 tonnes per hectare, in 2010. Potato farms in the United States were the most productive in 2010, with a nationwide average of 44.3 tonnes per hectare. United Kingdom was a close second.

 

New Zealand farmers have demonstrated some of the best commercial yields in the world, ranging between 60 and 80 tonnes per hectare, some reporting yields of 88 tonnes potatoes per hectare.

 

There is a big gap among various countries between high and low yields, even with the same variety of potato. Average potato yields in developed economies ranges between 38–44 tonnes per hectare. China and India accounted for over a third of world's production in 2010, and had yields of 14.7 and 19.9 tonnes per hectare respectively. The yield gap between farms in developing economies and developed economies represents an opportunity loss of over 400 million tonnes of potato, or an amount greater than 2010 world potato production. Potato crop yields are determined by factors such as the crop breed, seed age and quality, crop management practices and the plant environment. Improvements in one or more of these yield determinants, and a closure of the yield gap, can be a major boost to food supply and farmer incomes in the developing world.

 

USES

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to swell the starch granules. Most potato dishes are served hot but some are first cooked, then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips (crisps). Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes. Unlike many foods, potatoes can also be easily cooked in a microwave oven and still retain nearly all of their nutritional value, provided they are covered in ventilated plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping; this method produces a meal very similar to a steamed potato, while retaining the appearance of a conventionally baked potato. Potato chunks also commonly appear as a stew ingredient. Potatoes are boiled between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on size and type, to become soft.

 

OTHER THAN FOR EATING

Potatoes are also used for purposes other than eating by humans, for example:

 

Potatoes are used to brew alcoholic beverages such as vodka, poitín, or akvavit.

They are also used as fodder for livestock. Livestock-grade potatoes, considered too small and/or blemished to sell or market for human use but suitable for fodder use, have been called chats in some dialects. They may be stored in bins until use; they are sometimes ensiled. Some farmers prefer to steam them rather than feed them raw and are equipped to do so efficiently.

Potato starch is used in the food industry as a thickener and binder for soups and sauces, in the textile industry as an adhesive, and for the manufacturing of papers and boards.

Maine companies are exploring the possibilities of using waste potatoes to obtain polylactic acid for use in plastic products; other research projects seek ways to use the starch as a base for biodegradable packaging.

Potato skins, along with honey, are a folk remedy for burns in India. Burn centres in India have experimented with the use of the thin outer skin layer to protect burns while healing.

Potatoes (mainly Russets) are commonly used in plant research. The consistent parenchyma tissue, the clonal nature of the plant and the low metabolic activity provide a very nice "model tissue" for experimentation. Wound-response studies are often done on potato tuber tissue, as are electron transport experiments. In this respect, potato tuber tissue is similar to Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans and Escherichia coli: they are all "standard" research organisms.

Potatoes have been delivered with personalized messages as a novelty. Potato delivery services include Potato Parcel and Mail A Spud.

 

WIKIPEDIA

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), also known as the purple mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit native to Island Southeast Asia. Its exact origins are unknown due to its widespread cultivation since ancient times, but it is believed to have been somewhere between the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas. It grows mainly in Southeast Asia, southwest India and other tropical areas such as Colombia, Puerto Rico and Florida, where the tree has been introduced. The tree grows from 6 to 25 m tall. The fruit of the mangosteen is sweet and tangy, juicy, somewhat fibrous, with fluid-filled vesicles (like the flesh of citrus fruits), with an inedible, deep reddish-purple colored rind (exocarp) when ripe. In each fruit, the fragrant edible flesh that surrounds each seed is botanically endocarp, i.e., the inner layer of the ovary. Seeds are almond-shaped and -sized.

 

Mangosteen belongs to the same genus as the other, less widely known fruit, such as the button mangosteen (G. prainiana) or the charichuelo (G. madruno).

 

HISTORY

Mangosteen is a native plant to Southeast Asia. Highly valued for its juicy, delicate texture and slightly sweet and sour flavour, the mangosteen has been cultivated in Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, Mainland Southeast Asia, and the Philippines since ancient times. The 15th-century Chinese record Yingya Shenglan described mangosteen as mang-chi-shih (derived from Malay Language manggis), a native plant of Southeast Asia of white flesh with delectable sweet and sour taste.

 

A description of mangosteen was included in the Species Plantarum by Linnaeus in 1753. The mangosteen was introduced into English greenhouses in 1855. Subsequently its culture was introduced into the Western Hemisphere, where it became established in West Indies islands, especially Jamaica. It was later established on the Americas mainland in Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Ecuador. The mangosteen tree generally does not grow well outside the tropics.

 

There is a legend about Queen Victoria offering a reward of 100 pounds sterling to anyone who could deliver to her the fresh fruit. Although this legend can be traced to a 1930 publication by the fruit explorer, David Fairchild, it is not substantiated by any known historical document, yet is probably responsible for the uncommon designation of mangosteen as the "Queen of Fruit".

 

The journalist and gourmet R. W. Apple, Jr. once said of the fruit, "No other fruit, for me, is so thrillingly, intoxicatingly luscious...I'd rather eat one than a hot fudge sundae, which for a big Ohio boy is saying a lot." Since 2006, private small-volume orders for fruits grown in Puerto Rico were sold to American specialty food stores and gourmet restaurants who serve the flesh segments as a delicacy dessert.

 

PROPAGATION, CULTIVATION AND HARVEST

Mangosteen is usually propagated by seedlings. Vegetative propagation is difficult and seedlings are more robust and reach fruiting earlier than vegetative propagated plants.

 

Mangosteen produces a recalcitrant seed which is not a true seed strictly defined, but rather described as a nucellar asexual embryo. As seed formation involves no sexual fertilization, the seedling is genetically identical to the mother plant. If allowed to dry, a seed dies quickly, but if soaked, seed germination takes between 14 and 21 days when the plant can be kept in a nursery for about 2 years growing in a small pot.

 

When the trees are approximately 25–30 cm , they are transplanted to the field at a spacing of 20–40 m. After planting, the field is mulched in order to control weeds. Transplanting takes place in the rainy season because young trees are likely to be damaged by drought. Because young trees need shade, intercropping with banana, plantain, rambutan, durian or coconut leaves is effective. Coconut palms are mainly used in areas with a long dry season, as palms also provide shade for mature mangosteen trees. Another advantage of intercropping in mangosteen cultivation is the suppression of weeds.

 

The growth of the trees is retarded if the temperature is below 20 °C. The ideal temperature range for growing and producing fruits is 25–35 °C with a relative humidity over 80%. The maximal temperature is 38–40 °C, with both leaves and fruit being susceptible to scorching and sunburn, while the minimum temperature is 3–5 °C. Young seedlings prefer a high level of shade and mature trees are shade-tolerant.

 

Mangosteen trees have a weak root system and prefer deep, well drained soils with high moisture content, often growing on riverbanks. The mangosteen is not adapted to limestone soils, sandy, alluvial soils or sandy soils with low organic matter content. Mangosteen trees need a well distributed rainfall over the year (<40 mm/month) and a 3–5 week dry season.

 

Mangosteen trees are sensitive to water availability and application of fertilizer input which is increased with the age of trees, regardless of region. Maturation of mangosteen fruits takes 5–6 months, with harvest occurring when the pericarps are purple.

 

BREEDING

In breeding of perennial mangosteen, selection of rootstock and grafting are significant issues to overcome constraints to production, harvesting or seasonality. Most of the genetic resources for breeding are in germplasm collections, whereas some wild species are cultivated in Malaysia and the Philippines. Conservation methods are chosen because storage of seeds under dried and low temperature conditions has not been successful.

 

Because of the long duration until the trees yield fruits and the long resulting breeding cycles, mangosteen breeding has not proven attractive for transplanting or research. Breeding objectives that may enhance mangosteen production include:

 

Drought tolerance, especially sensitivity to drought in the first 5 years after germination

Tree architecture to produce a tree with a crown that is regular and pyramid-shaped

Fruit quality including i) overcoming bitter taste components caused by changes in pulp, pericarp or aril and ii) pericarp cracking resulting from excessive water uptake

Rootstock for improved adaptation to drought and robust development in early years of growth

 

YIELD

Mangosteen trees may reach fruit-bearing in as little as 5–6 years, but more typically require 8–10 years. The yield of the mangosteen is variable, depending on climate and age of the tree. If the young tree is bearing for the first time, 200–300 fruits may be produced, whereas at maturity, 500 fruits per season are average. At age 30 to 45 years in full maturity, each tree may yield as many as 3,000 fruits, with trees as old as 100 years still producing.

 

REGIONAL PRODUCTION

Major mangosteen production occurs in Southeast Asia, mainly in Thailand as the country with the most acreage planted, estimated at 4,000 ha in 1965 and 11,000 ha in 2000, giving a total yield of 46,000 tons. Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are other major Asian producers. Mangosteen production in Puerto Rico is succeeding, but despite decades of attempts, no major production occurs elsewhere in the Caribbean Islands, South America, Florida, California, Hawaii or any continent except Asia.

 

DISEASES AND PESTS

COMMON DISEASES AND PESTS

The pathogens which attack mangosteen are common in other tropical trees. The diseases can be divided into foliar, fruit, stem and soil-borne diseases.

 

Pestalotiopsis leaf blight (Pestalotiopsis flagisettula (only identified in Thailand)) is one of the diseases which infect especially young leaves. Furthermore, the pathogen causes the fruits to rot before and after the harvest. Additional stem canker and dieback are caused by the pathogen. Some of the symptoms of stem canker are branch splitting, gummosis and bark blistering. The main areas where the disease was observed are Thailand, Malaysia and North Queensland.

 

Another common disease is the thread blight or white thread blight disease (Marasmiellus scandens) whereas the name comes from the mycelia which resembles thread. Leaves, twigs and branches may also be damaged by the disease. The spores spread with the help of wind, raindrops and insects, and thrive in shady, humid and wet conditions.

 

An important post-harvest disease affecting mangosteen especially in Thailand is called Diplodia fruit rot (Diplodia theobromae) which, as a secondary pathogen, enters the host plant through wounds.

 

Phellinus noxius living on the roots and trunk bases causes brown root disease, a name derived from the appearance of the mycelium-binding soil particles. The distribution of the fungus happens through contact with infected wood or thick rhizomorphs on tree stumps.

 

There are a few pests which feed on mangosteen leaves and fruits including leaf eater (Stictoptera sp.), leaf miner (Phyllocnictis citrella) and fruit borer (Curculio sp.). Especially in nurseries, the larval stage of the leaf eater can cause visible damage on young leaves, but can be managed by biological control agents. The larval stage of fruit borer (Curculio sp.) feeds on different parts of fruit before ripening.

 

CONTROL MEASURES FOR DISEASES AND PESTS

Different management options can be applied to control mangosteen diseases.

 

Measures to inhibit sun scalding to minimize leaf blight and stem canker.

Reduction of wounds caused by insects and storm damage to minimize disease incidence.

Change of the microclimate by tree spacing and pruning.

Chemicals applied to root collars and tree stumps to control root diseases.

Fungicides to control fungal pathogens.

Biological pest control or insecticides to control insects.

 

TREE AND FRUIT

A tropical tree, the mangosteen must be grown in consistently warm conditions, as exposure to temperatures below 0 °C for prolonged periods will usually kill a mature plant. They are known to recover from brief cold spells rather well, often with damage only to young growth. Experienced horticulturists have grown this species outdoors, and brought them to fruit in extreme south Florida.

 

The juvenile mangosteen fruit, which does not require fertilisation to form (see agamospermy), first appears as pale green or almost white in the shade of the canopy. As the fruit enlarges over the next two to three months, the exocarp colour deepens to darker green. During this period, the fruit increases in size until its exocarp is 6–8 centimetres in outside diameter, remaining hard until a final, abrupt ripening stage.

 

The subsurface chemistry of the mangosteen exocarp comprises an array of polyphenols, including xanthones and tannins that assure astringency which discourages infestation by insects, fungi, plant viruses, bacteria and animal predation while the fruit is immature. Colour changes and softening of the exocarp are natural processes of ripening that indicates the fruit can be eaten and the seeds have finished developing.

 

Once the developing mangosteen fruit has stopped expanding, chlorophyll synthesis slows as the next colour phase begins. Initially streaked with red, the exocarp pigmentation transitions from green to red to dark purple, indicating a final ripening stage. This entire process takes place over a period of ten days as the edible quality of the fruit peaks.

 

Over the days following removal from the tree, the exocarp hardens to an extent depending upon post-harvest handling and ambient storage conditions, especially relative humidity levels. If the ambient humidity is high, exocarp hardening may take a week or longer when the flesh quality is peaking and excellent for consumption. However, after several additional days of storage, especially if unrefrigerated, the flesh inside the fruit might spoil without any obvious external indications. Using the hardness of the rind as an indicator of freshness for the first two weeks following harvest is therefore unreliable because the rind does not accurately reveal the interior condition of the flesh. If the exocarp is soft and yielding as it is when ripe and fresh from the tree, the fruit is usually good.

 

The edible endocarp of the mangosteen has the same shape and size as a tangerine 4–6 centimetres in diameter, but is white. The number of fruit segments corresponds exactly with the number of stigma lobes on the exterior apex; accordingly, a higher number of fleshy segments also corresponds with the fewest seeds. The circle of wedge-shaped segments contains 4–8, rarely 9 segments, the larger ones harbouring the apomictic seeds that are unpalatable unless roasted. As a non-climacteric fruit, a picked mangosteen does not ripen further, so must be consumed shortly after harvest.

 

Often described as a subtle delicacy, the flesh bears an exceptionally mild aroma, quantitatively having about 1/400th of the chemical constituents of fragrant fruits, explaining its relative mildness. The main volatile components having caramel, grass and butter notes as part of the mangosteen fragrance are hexyl acetate, hexenol and α-copaene.

 

NUTRITIONAL CONTENT

The endocarp is the white part of the fruit containing a mild flavor that makes the fruit popular for eating. When analyzed specifically for its content of essential nutrients, however, mangosteen nutrition is modest, as all nutrients analyzed are a low percentage of the Dietary Reference Intake (see table for canned fruit in syrup, USDA Nutrient Database; note that nutrient values for fresh fruit are likely different, but have not been published by a reputable source).

 

USES

CULINARY

Due to restrictions on imports, mangosteen is not readily available in certain countries. Although available in Australia and New Zealand, for example, they are still rare in the produce sections of grocery stores in North America. Following export from its natural growing regions in Southeast Asia, the fresh fruit may be available seasonally in some local markets like those of Chinatowns.

 

Mangosteens are available canned and frozen in Western countries. Without fumigation or irradiation (in order to kill the Asian fruit fly) fresh mangosteens were illegal to import into the United States until 2007. Freeze-dried and dehydrated mangosteen flesh can also be found.

 

Upon arrival in the US in 2007, fresh mangosteens sold at up to $60 per pound in specialty produce stores in New York City, but wider availability and somewhat lower prices have become common in the United States and Canada.[4] Despite efforts described above to grow mangosteen in the Western Hemisphere, nearly the entire supply is imported from Thailand.

 

Before ripening, the mangosteen shell is fibrous and firm, but becomes soft and easy to pry open when the fruit ripens. To open a mangosteen, the shell can be scored with a knife, pried gently along the score with the thumbs until it cracks, and then pulled apart to reveal the fruit. Alternatively, the mangosteen can be opened without a knife by squeezing the shell from the bottom until it breaks, allowing the shell to be removed and the fruit eaten while intact with the stem. Occasionally, during peeling of ripe fruits, the purple exocarp juice may stain skin or fabric. In Vietnam, the ripe fruit is also used as a salad ingredient.

 

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

Various parts of the plant have a history of use in traditional medicine, mostly in Southeast Asia; it may have been used to treat skin infections, wounds, dysentery, urinary tract infections, and gastrointestinal complaints, although there is no high-quality clinical evidence for any of these effects.

 

Dried fruits are shipped to Singapore to be processed for medical uses which may include dysentery, skin disorders, and various other minor diseases in several countries across Asia. There is no reliable evidence that mangosteen juice, puree, bark or extracts is effective as a treatment for human diseases.

 

NATURAL DYE

The extract of mangosteen peels are traditionally used in Indonesia as the source of natural dye for textile colouring; to acquire brown, dark brown, purple to red hues, especially applied in traditional tenun ikat and batik textiles.

 

OTHER USES

Mangosteen twigs have been used as chew sticks in Ghana, and the wood has been used to make spears and cabinetry in Thailand. The rind of the mangosteen fruit has also been used to tan leather in China.

 

PHYTOCHEMICALS

Mangosteen peel contains xanthonoids, such as mangostin, and other phytochemicals. Polysaccharide and xanthone compounds are found in the fruit, leaves, and heartwood of the mangosteen. Fully ripe fruit contain xanthones, garthanin, 8-disoxygartanin, and normangostin.

 

MARKETING

Fresh mangosteen is marketed for only a short period of six to ten weeks due to its seasonal nature. It is mainly grown by smallholders and sold at fruit stalls by roadsides. Its irregular, short supply leads to wide price fluctuations throughout its season and over the years. Additionally, there is no standard product quality assessment or grading system, making international trade of the fruits difficult. The mangosteen still remains rare in Western markets, though its popularity is increasing, and it is often sold at a high price.

 

WIKIPEDIA

Presented to Prof. Dr. C. K. Atal for discovery and validation of world's first bioenhancer Piperine, thereby leading to scientific validation of bioenhancers concept and consequently resulting in development of world's first bioenhanced antitubercular formulation Risorine officially released on world TB day may 2011 by Govt. of India and which was also presented to Philanthropist Mr Bill gates by the Indian Government.

 

CONTRIBUTIONS IN MEDICINE

REFERENCES-

www.jaim.in/text.asp?2010/1/2/96/65073 www.linknaturalproducts.com/downloads/lnp-digest-v6-2010-.... webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:L5kfQKgjkMw... www.herbalnet.org/events.htm www.dailyexcelsior.com/dr-atal-conferred-edpa-award-appre...

www.flickr.com/photos/13059662@N06/13401939445/

  

HEALTH, MEDICINE, DRUGS, TOXICOLOGY

PHARMACOGNOSY, DRUG RESEARCH, DRUG DISCOVERY, DRUG DEVELOPMENT, NEW CONCEPTS, NEW MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF DRUGS, MEDICINAL PLANTS, AYURVEDA ETC

 

“It takes more than 10-15 years and approximately 500-600 million dollars to put a new drug into the market. Dr. Atal has provided a basket of drugs, molecules, medical concepts and novel mechanisms of action of drugs for the benefit of patients, researchers and medical community.

1.MEDICAL FRATERNITY AWARDS & HONOURS- drug research and development, medicinal plants research,–details in award section.

A.IMA AWARD- Indian Medical Association Award (IMA- EDB) Chikitsa Seva rattan (ratna) award for bioenhancers.

B.EDPA AWARD of appreciation, 2014.

C.Guest of honor at seminar on Bioenhancers jointly organized by Indian Medical Association (EDB) and East Delhi Physicians association at Delhi.

D.Inaugurated the annual conference, Hematology and blood transfusion at Govt. Medical College, Jammu.

2.OTHER AWARDS(drug development , medicinal plants)

A.Dr. I. C. Chopra Science and Technology award to Dr. Atal for several pioneering drug discoveries and drug development.

B.Professor P. N. Mehra Memorial botany award for plant sciences including work on medicinal plants.

3.AWARD WINNING RURAL HEALTH, NUTRITION, RURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DONE AT RRL

A.FICCI AWARD presented to RRL for rural development projects including work on rural health

B.UN GRANT for rural aquaculture development given to RRL (rural nutrition).

4.MEDICINAL CONSULTANCIES

A.World Health Organization projects in Bangladesh and USA (see toxicology).

B.UNDP projects on medicinal plants in Vietnam.

5.LITERATURE (Serial no 184-211,details in author section) -

A.World reference book on medicinal plants used globally in research institutes/universities

B.Numerous research papers in reputed national & international journals.

6.TOXICOLOGY- INTERNATIONAL AUTHORITY on Crotalaria and its Toxicity in Human Food Chain (Crotalaria Adulteration and Toxicity) and WHO / USA Consultancy

A.Solving the mysterious disease in Sarguja district, Madhya Pradesh, India as crotalaria toxicity.

B.Appointed as consultant by WHO to USA (WHO, PAHO and USFDA) as world authority on Crotalaria and toxicity in human food chain.

C.Published several serial research articles on Crotalaria.

7.PUBLIC & RURAL HEALTH- projects include successful control of external parasites (ectoparasites) like louse control using bio-antiparasitic agents , example-(1975-76) by use of Acorus calamus oil and mustard oil, Guinea worm infection (1976-77) by anti zooplankton measures like introduction of pond fishes in villages which thrive on zooplanktons. Aquaculture (rural supplementation of income and nutrition won the UN grant).

8.WORLD’S FIRST GEOTHERMAL ENERGY BORAX EXTRACTION PLANT (Puga-Ladakh-1976)- world’s highest-factory of its time, first in India and perhaps first and only example in the world to extract borax by innovative use of geothermal energy having medicinal use.

9.INDIA’S FIRST IN DRUGS AND MEDICINE

A.Breakthrough technology in mint - technology for manufacture of bolder crystals of menthol//marc into boards which is used in medical formulations.

B.Xanthotoxin manufacture from two plant sources-(ammi majus & heracleum candicans).

C.Risorine-only Indian drug from India released on world TB day, and presented by Indian government to world dignitary Mr. Bill Gates.

D.Sallaki- the second Indian “single plant based scientifically researched modern drug based on traditional Indian system”.

E.First to introduce / popularize superior imported eucalyptus macrorhynea seeds, a source of Rutin used in medicine.

F.Founder/signatory-CCRAS system of medicine.

10.DISCOVERY OF NEW MECHANISMS OF ACTION IN DRUGS

A.Bioenhancers- they increase blood levels of drug (bioavailability) and drug efficacy (bioefficacy) by inhibiting first pass metabolism and increased absorption of drug. Several more mechanisms have been studied / postulated for this effect.

B.Plant Immunomodulators from Rasayanas - first reporting in science.

11.DISCOVERY OF NOVEL OR BETTER MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF DRUGS- (Drug discovery, mechanisms of action of those drugs and first reporting in science in drugs are overlapping topics) see details in next topic and (Serial no 105-112,first reporting in science)

A.Potassium Embelate (centrally acting non narcotic orally effective analgesic acting on new undiscovered receptors in the brain).

B.Sallaki-Non steroidal anti inflammatory gastro protective plant analgesic (active ingredient Boswellic acid) working through inflammatory pathways (all other existing NSAID drugs are ulcerogenic).

C.Vasicine- bronchodilatory, oxytocic and platelet dysfunction/platelet number corrector actions.

D.Anti urolithiatic drug Debelysin (internationally marketed)-See details below.

E.RLX- Anti inflammatory cum bronchodilator drug. All other asthma drugs are either bronchodilators or else anti-inflammatory drugs.

12.WORLD’S FIRST IN BIOENHANCERS

A.Discovery of world’s first bioenhancer Piperine which is also the world’s first plant based bioenhancer. Research includes first deriving the mechanism of action.

B.First coining of the term Bioavailability enhancers (Bioenhancers).

C.This discovery was proven on world’s first experimentally bioenhanced drugs Sparteine and Vasicine.

D.Published the first scientific evidence based reference on Bioenahncers (IDMA bulletin).

E.This discovery scientifically established a new chapter in medical science.

F.Starting the first bioehnanced antitubercular project which led to development of world’s first bioenhanced antitubercular drug Risorine developed by IIIM Jammu, released by Govt. of India on world TB day 2011 and presented to Mr. Bill Gates of Microsoft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

DISCOVERY OF NEW CONCEPTS /FIRST REPORTINGS IN MEDICAL SCIENCE

13.DISCOVERY OF WORLD’S FIRST BIOENHANCER PIPERINE (COMMERCIALISED):

A.PIPERINE is the world’s first proven bioenhancer which was discovered and established by Dr. Atal. Spartine and Vasicine were the first experimental bioenhanced drugs, which established the world’s first bioenhancer concept (See next topic) and which ultimately led to development of world’s first bioenhanced antitubercular formulation Risorine.

B.SIGNIFICANCE OF DISCOVERY OF PIPERINE - It was the first time that a molecule was discovered which could increase the potency of several classes of existing drugs even after being administered at reduced dosed. This made the formulation more effective (bioefficacy) while dose reduction meant reduced cost of drug and reduced side effects of the drug. Prior to this the existing methods were confined to Physical methods only, like micronisation, timed release, site release formulations etc.

C.HISTORY-Bioenhancers were first scientifically documented in 1979 at RRL, Jammu. The reason for arriving at the Bioenhancer hypothesis by Dr. Atal was based on a clue on Trikatu obtained after scrutiny of Ayurvedic handbook compiled by another research institute of CSIR. He observed that a large number (about 75%) of herbal formulations used for a large variety of diseases incorporated Trikatu, or one of the ingredients of Trikatu, namely Piper longum. He posed two questions. What was piper doing in so many formulations? Is it effective against all the illnesses? Since piper cannot be a panacea, so other reasons were thought of and one likely postulation was that it probably increased the potency/ bioavailability of formulations. Further research established the bioenhancer concept. Radiolabelled Vasicine and Spartine which were already being used in other experiments at RRL, were used for bioenhancing experiments, and became the first experimental drugs in the world to be scientifically bioenhanced by Piperine in 1979 at RRL, which established the concept. Subsequently several other classes of drugs were also bioenhanced successfully, research papers were published by RRL , Piperine was patented internationally, research scholars were granted doctorate degrees on bioenhancer research and drug development project on anti tubercular formulation was initiated at RRL. With further research by others, bioavailability enhancers were renamed bioenhancers in short, because research has indicated that Piperine may increase efficacy of drugs due to mechanisms other than increased bioavailability (bioefficacy enhancer + bioavailability enhancer = bioenhancers). About 50 years earlier, Bose in his Pharmacopoea Indica while describing the antiasthmatic activity of Vasaka leaves had made an observation that addition of long pepper to Vasaka increased its efficacy. However, no explanation for this observation was put forth by anyone in science, and it remained an observation overlooked and uninvestigated for about 50 years till the discovery of bioenhancers at RRL, Jammu in 1979 based on a clue from Ayurveda.

14.ESTABLISHING NEW CHAPTER OF BIOENHANCERS IN MEDICINE-

A.NEW CHAPTER IN SCIENCE- With the discovery of Bioenhancer Piperine a new chapter in Medicine was established. The term “Bioavailability enhancers” (later renamed bioenhancers or drug boosters) was first /coined at RRL Jammu. The breakthrough was first published by Dr. Atal in 1979 in IDMA bulletin (Atal. C.K., I.D.M.A. Bull, 1979, 10, 36- “A breakthrough in Drug Bioavailability” – A clue from age old wisdom of Ayurveda”. This term did not exist anywhere in medical treatment, drug industry; textbook or scientific literature till bioavailability enhancer Piperine was discovered and authenticated.

B.SIGNIFICANCE OF DISCOVERY BIOENHANCER CONCEPT -This revolutionary award winning globally recognized breakthrough is a basic discovery which has opened new concept/chapters of Bioenhancers in science in the field of drug bioavailability. As a result, it has opened endless new molecules, drugs, classes of drugs waiting to be bioenhanced and newer bioenhancers waiting to be discovered. Several bioenhancers have been discovered after this discovery, but Piperine still remains the most potent bioenhancer till date. This is also an example of traditional drug influencing multiple classes of modern drugs, nutrients and Xenobiotics. Details are provided at the last page.

C.BENEFITS OF BIOENHANCERS- Bioenhancers act like a catalyst and make the formulations more potent even at lesser dose. Reduced dose also makes the formulation safer, cheaper, and better tolerated by patient, with lesser chance of drug resistance (due to better acceptance, better compliance and increased bioefficacy). Moreover added ecological benefits are due to reduced requirement of raw material needed for plant based drugs, particularly for “less bioavailable” plant based drugs or for rare and scarce plants, example being anti cancer drug Taxol. www.jaim.in/text.asp?2010/1/2/96/65073(J-AIM-journal). docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:BULgW-7SSm8J:www.n... ( CSIR newsletter).

15.DRUG DEVELOPMENT PROJECT ON WORLD’ FIRST BIOENHANCED ANTITUBERCULAR DRUG - (Risorine/Kit based on Piperine officially released on World TB day, 2011)- Work was started by Dr. Atal on developing Piperine based antitubercular formulation (reference given below) keeping in mind the dire need of the society . Thereafter the world’s first Piperine bioenhanced anti tubercular formulation Risorine/Risorine kit was developed by CSIR (public private partnership) as a novel safer cheaper TB drug with fewer side effects. It was released on world Tuberculosis day 24th March 2011 in presence of current and former ministers for science and technology, India, Director General CSIR and others at Delhi, India and also presented to Mr. Bill Gates. It is almost 50 long years after which something new has happened in the field of tuberculosis research and treatment. Piperine was extensively investigated, researched and took unusually long time to get the concerned permission for launching it in market as Risorine (company launching in 2009 by Cadila Pharmaceuticals and official CSIR launching on world tuberculosis day 2011).In the meantime keletra (Lopinavir/ritonavir) was discovered and officially launched as bioenhanced antiretroviral drug(US FDA approval in 2000). Thus Risorine became the second officially marketed bioenhanced drug in world after keletra even though Rifampicin was experimentally bioenhanced much earlier. However Risorine is still the world’s first bioenhanced marketed antitubercular drug. For details of the World TB day events, See two links below. Reference- Influence of piperine on rifampicin blood levels in patients of pulmonary tuberculosis, J Assoc Physicians India. 1985 Mar; 33 (3) : 223-4 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4044481http://pib.nic.in/news... csirindia.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/world-tuberculosis-day... RECOGNITION OF PIPERINE DISCOVERY - Bioenhancer discovery has led to the successful development of world’s first bioenhanced antitubercular drug Risorine in market.

A.Globally recognized and accepted discovery by scientific community, Wide media coverage, DD news coverage of Risorine release, internet reports.

B.Dr. I. C. Chopra award, 2000 given to Dr. Atal for plant based drug discoveries including Piperine.

C.Indian Medical Association’s Chikitsa Seva Rattan (ratna) award, IMA-EDB given to Dr. Atal for bioenhancers.

D.EDPA award of appreciation, 2014 given to Dr. Atal for bioenhancer research.

E.Many Medical Conferences on bioenhancers have been held like the one jointly conducted by Indian Medical association (EDB) and East Delhi Physician association at IMA hall (EDB) on 8th May, 2010.

F.CSIR/Govt. of India’s official launching of bioenhanced Risorine on world TB day, 2011 at Anusandhan Bhawan, Delhi.

G.Presentation of Risorine to visiting dignitary Mr. Bill Gates on world TB day, 2011.

H.IDMA research award 1981-82, discipline Pharmacology, at hotel Centaur, Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) presented to Dr. Usha Zutshi / J. L. Kaul-on best original research paper on “The impact of Ayurvedic herbals on drug bioavailability” in Indian drugs 1982 Sep vol. 19, pg 476-79.

I.CSIR National Technology award 1993 presented to Dr. Usha Zutshi and Dr. K. L. Bedi, for work on piperine.

J.RRL Jammu alone published more than 25 research papers on Piperine based on 10 PhDs dissertations and doctorate degrees awarded on bioenhancers.

K.Worldwide recognition, research and publication of Piperine and bioenhancers.

16.DISCOVERY OF PLANT BASED IMMUNOMODULATORS (discovered from Rasayanas in Ayurveda and available as formulations in market)-First reported case of plant based immunomodulators from plant sources, discovered from Ayurvedic list of Rasayanas class of drugs, a new concept and a major contribution to science. (Serial no 17,award section-Dr. I. C. Chopra award ).Out of 16 plant drugs, 6 were studied in more detail and thus classified on the type of immune modulation produced, as immunosupressants, immunostimulants and immunocorrecting agents (immunoequiliberating). Example includes Picrorhiza kurroa that went into clinical trials has become a part of numerous modern herbal formulations. Some References - Immunomodulating agents of plant origin. I: Preliminary screening, J Ethnopharmacol. 1986 Nov; 18(2): 133 - 41. C. K. Atal, M. L. Sharma, A. Kaul, A. Khajuria, (See links below and events, CSIR, IIIM , first Dr. I. C. Chopra award)

A.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3560991

B.http://www.herbalnet.org/events.htm

17.DEBELYSIN (COMMERCIALISED, INTERNATIONALLY MARKETED) patented renal antilithiatic (lithio-lytic or renal calculi dissolving drugs), based on Dolichos biflora Seeds. Not much is available in allopathic system for renal calculi, although methods exist like surgery, cystoscopic removal, lithotripsy, some uncommon methods to dissolve renal calculi, besides some herbal formulations available in market. Debelysin is a patented, safe, scientifically established drug for renal calculi with an international marketed in Poland, Byelorussia and Ukraine. Reference article -Clinical evaluation of a new antilithiatic drug," Debelysin". T Krzeski, A Borowka, W Gustowski, C.K. Atal, A. Pol J Pharmacol Pharm, 1983 - 35(1):1-6. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6889184

18.ANTIARTHRITIC DRUG SALLAKI – BOSWELLIC ACID AS ACTIVE INGREDIENT- (COMMERCIALISED, INTERNATIONALLY MARKETED)- SECOND HERBAL DRUG IN INDIA- Apart from Rauwolfia discovered by Col. Sir R. N. Chopra in late forties, Sallaki, launched in March 1982, became the second other important scientifically proven major herbal drug based on Indian system of medicine (Ayurvedic and Unani) to formally enter Indian market in five decades post independence ( RRL newsletter April 1982). Belladonna was one more such launch elsewhere but it was not a drug in the true sense because it was launched as tincture for its non specific effects/activity on salivation and pain or else as belladonna plaster for boils which are not “activity” specific. Later Atropine extracted from Belladonna became a pure modern drug. After Rauwolfia, Sallaki was “second” in India for the following reasons. It was the second formally launched “single plant” based drug like Rauwolfia, its alcoholic extract was validated for activity in animals, activity was also established to be equivalent to crude drug, and lastly, its scientific validation in animals was reproducible (reference-Dr.K.L.Bedi). The Dr. I. C. Chopra award, 2000 was given to Dr. C. K. Atal for plant based drug discoveries particularly Sallaki, (See award section and internet link). Sallaki is also successfully marketed internationally, particularly Europe, as a safe, effective antiarthritic drug and the only non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug devoid of gastrointestinal side effects (ulceration) and instead it has gastroprotective action. www.phytomedicinejournal.com/article/S0944-7113%2808%2900... The effects on lipids were also investigated for the first time which was also done by CDRI, Lucknow, which progressed further into anti lipidaemic drug development. Mechanism of cholesterol lowering effect of Salai guggal ex. boswellia serrata roxb - U Zutshi, PG Rao, S Kaur, GB Singh, S Surjeet, CK Atal Indian Journal of Pharmacology – 1986, vol. 18,issue 3,pg 182-183.Sallaki is also reportedly being manufactured by Gufic Company in Uzbekistan and has a reported market in Russia and Europe, especially Germany. Boswellic acid is marketed by other companies like Himalaya (as Shallaki) and Amway. www.ijp-online.com/article.asp?issn=0253-7613;year=1986;v...

19.VASICINE, VASICINONE, AND ITS ANALOGUES (MARKETED AS AYURVEDIC FORMULATIONS) -OFFER OF US DOLLARS 80,000/- FOR INDO-US COLLABORATION ON THIS DRUG-exhibiting bronchodilatory, oxytocic and platelet dysfunction/platelet number corrector actions. Vasicine from Adhatoda vasica was discovered to control capillary bleeding through action on Bone Marrow. Dr. Atal while on a visit to USA in 1981 was offered Indo US collaborative research on vasicine. A provisional agreement was signed in USA with Farmacon dated 29th Oct, 1981, and agreed that the data be provided to Farmacon research Corporation, 39, South Lasalle street , Chicago Illinois, USA for a sum of US dollars eighty thousand(US $ 80,000/-) plus additional negotiable royalty , subject to CSIR Head office approval and retaining justified rights by CSIR. This was meant to be researched further in USA for possible marketing in USA (& Pakistan) as per agreement with Alan J, Schroeder, Vice President of the company. Since approval was delayed so the advance cheque was returned back to the company in USAL. This was the highest ever recorded amount of that time offered to any of the CSIR laboratories from international companies and original signed documents of agreement are still preserved. www.flickr.com/photos/13059662@N06/6506562555/in/photostream

20.RLX-a significant work on bronchodilatory effects of Deoxy vasicinone (RLX). This molecule is a wonderful anti inflammatory bronchodilator with minimal side effects as compared to conventional existing drugs and having a novel mechanism of action entirely different from others. The existing anti asthmatic drugs possesses either anti-inflammatory or else bronchodilatory effect, whereas RLX has both the properties.

21.POTASSIUM EMBELLATE-THE ONLY DRUG OF ITS KIND- a centrally acting, non narcotic orally effective analgesic, the only molecule of its kind known to exist. This is new molecule acting on so far unknown and undiscovered receptors in the brain (as peripherally it is devoid of anti-inflammatory action and centrally its effect is not reversed by opioid antagonists suggesting some different site of action/receptors in brain). Reference-

A.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2561116

B.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6541278

22.HEPATOPROTECTIVE FORMULATIONS (COMMERCIALISED): - significant work on plant based hepatoprotective formulations based on many plants. It was launched in the market as Livzone, a hepatoprotective formulation (Hind Chemicals, Kanpur). www.herbalnet.org/events.htm (CSIR- IIIM , Serial no 17 ,first Dr. I. C. Chopra award)

23.TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR ABOVE DRUGS- Sallaki (Gufic Company, Bombay, renamed Mumbai), Hepatoprotective Livzone (Hind Chemicals, Kanpur under Dr. Rohtagi), Piperine Bioenhanced Anti tubercular formulation Risorine/risorine kit (Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Ahemedabad). Immunomodulator Picrorrhiza is being used in many herbal formulations and so is Vasicine. Antiurolithiatic drug Debelysin has been internationally developed by Herbapol from Poland.

A.DRUGS RESEARCHED IN INDIA- Sallaki, Risorine, Hepatoprotectives (Livzone), RLX, Vasicine, Potassium Embellate

B.DRUGS RESEARCHED INTERNATIONALLY- Debelysin

C.DRUGS COMMERCIALISED IN INDIA- Livzone, Risorine, Sallaki

D.INDIAN DRUG COMMERCIALISED INTERNATIONALLY- Sallaki

E.DRUGS DEVELOPED & COMMERCIALISED INTERNATIONALLY-Debelysin

24.PROCESS DEVELOPED FOR INDIA FOR SEVERAL KNOWN AND EXISTING DRUGS – Phytochemicals (Seventeen) ,Drug Intermediates (Three) ,Fermentation Technology (Four) (for detailed list Serial no 152-159,processes developed for India.Broad categories are Processes for medicinal Essential Oils Isolates(like mint), Phytochemicals, Drugs, Intermediates, Pharmaceuticals, Mineral Products(plaster of Paris), Fermentation Technology Products(citric acid),mint etc used by the Medical profession.

25.CONTRIBUTIONS IN AYURVEDA- All drugs mentioned above in drug discoveries are based on medicinal plants and Ayurvedic/herbal plants (Serial no 201-204, professional standing and peer reviews).

A.Discovery of New Drugs, Concepts and Mechanisms of Action of Drugs from Ayurveda- (Serial no 92-112, drug discovery for details).

B.Significance of Work Done, Visionary Concepts, Recognition in Ayurveda- Details in Professional Standing.

26.RENOWNED INTERNATIONAL AUTHORITY AND CONSULTANT ON MEDICINAL PLANTS (PHARMACOGNOSY)

A.United Nations Consultant-UNDP, UNIDO. USFDA,FAO,WHO Etc

B.Consultant - International World Bodies, Universities, Organisations Etc

27. LISTED AMONG TOPMOST INDIAN PIONEER MEDICINAL PLANTS RESEARCHERS AND THINKERS IN NATIONAL JOURNALS

A.CURRENT-SCIENCE Ayurveda-scientific research and publications, NO-97, VOL-8/25-10-2009.

B.CURRENT SCIENCE -The quest for evidence based Ayurveda: lessons learned, VOL. 102, NO. 10, 25 MAY 2012.

C.J-AIM - A Renaissance for Ayurveda, J. Ayurveda. Integr Med. 2010 Jan-Mar; 1(1): 1–2.

28.LISTED AMONG TOPMOST PIONEER INTERNATIONAL RESEARCHERS IN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL

A.CELEBRATED RESEARCHERS: SERIAL -7, Link natural products digest, vol. 6 issue 2, 2010, pg13.

29.UNITED NATIONS PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED INTERNATIONALLY

A.UNDP/UNIDO- HERBAL MEDICINES (VIETNAM).

B.WHO- BANGLADESH-MEDICINAL FORMULATIONS FOR GOVT OF BANGLADESH.

C.WHO- USA- CONSULTANCIES ALL OVER USA ON PLANT TOXICITY IN HUMAN FOODCHAIN.

30.BOOK RELEASED AT INDIAN PHARMACEUTICAL CONGRESS (IPC-DELHI-2008)-"HIV, Aids & Bioactive Natural Products” at event diamond jubilee celebrations).

31.MEDIA COVERAGE - Risorine release covered on DD news channel, borax plant covered on BBC news, medicinal awards in news, internet etc

 

Ayurvedic Churna

fresh, dried or frozen.

juice, smoothie or yogurt.

colorful and nutritious, ripe or firm.

dessert, snacks or simply eat them naked.

love them all berries...

 

what about one cup.

 

1 cup of strawberries contains over 100 mg of vitamin C,

almost as much as a cup of orange juice. We need vitamin C for immune system function and for strong connective tissue. Strawberries also add a bit of calcium, magnesium, folate and potassium and only 53 calories.

 

1 cup of blueberries offers a smaller amount of vitamin C,

minerals and phytochemicals for only 83 calories.

 

1 cup of cranberries offers a smaller amount of vitamin C,

minerals and phytochemicals for only 44 calories.

 

1 cup of raspberries offers vitamin C and potassium for 64 calories.

 

IMG_5986

 

© 2010 All rights reserved by desertcrops

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible. POISONOUS.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

The papaya (/pəˈpaɪə/, US: /pəˈpɑːjə/) (from Carib via Spanish), papaw (/pəˈpɔ) or pawpaw (/ˈpɔːpɔ] is the plant Carica papaya, one of the 22 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae. Its origin is in the tropics of the Americas, perhaps from southern Mexico and neighboring Central America.

 

DESCIPTION

The papaya is a small, sparsely branched tree, usually with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 m tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The lower trunk is conspicuously scarred where leaves and fruit were borne. The leaves are large, 50–70 cm in diameter, deeply palmately lobed, with seven lobes. All parts of the plant contain latex in articulated laticifers. Papayas are dioecious. The flowers are 5-parted and highly dimorphic, the male flowers with the stamens fused to the petals. The female flowers have a superior ovary and five contorted petals loosely connected at the base. Male and female flowers are borne in the leaf axils, the males in multiflowered dichasia, the female flowers is few-flowered dichasia. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night and are wind or insect pollinated. The fruit is a large berry about 15–45 cm long and 10–30 cm in diameter. It is ripe when it feels soft (as soft as a ripe avocado or a bit softer) and its skin has attained an amber to orange hue.

 

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

Native to Mexico and northern South America, papaya has become naturalized throughout the Caribbean Islands, Florida, Texas, California, Hawaii, and other tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

 

CULTIVATION

Papaya plants grow in three sexes: male, female, and hermaphrodite. The male produces only pollen, never fruit. The female produces small, inedible fruits unless pollinated. The hermaphrodite can self-pollinate since its flowers contain both male stamens and female ovaries. Almost all commercial papaya orchards contain only hermaphrodites.

 

Originally from southern Mexico (particularly Chiapas and Veracruz), Central America, and northern South America, the papaya is now cultivated in most tropical countries. In cultivation, it grows rapidly, fruiting within 3 years. It is, however, highly frost-sensitive, limiting its production to tropical climates. Temperatures below −2° C are greatly harmful if not fatal. In Florida, California, and Texas, growth is generally limited to southern parts of the states. It prefers sandy, well-drained soil, as standing water will kill the plant within 24 hours.

 

PRODUCTION

In 2016, global production of papayas was 13.05 million tonnes, led by India with 44% of the world total (table). Global papaya production grew significantly over the early 21st century, mainly as a result of increased production in India and demand by the United States.

 

CULTIVARS

Two kinds of papayas are commonly grown. One has sweet, red or orange flesh, and the other has yellow flesh; in Australia, these are called "red papaya" and "yellow papaw", respectively. Either kind, picked green, is called a "green papaya".

 

The large-fruited, red-fleshed 'Maradol', 'Sunrise', and 'Caribbean Red' papayas often sold in U.S. markets are commonly grown in Mexico and Belize.

 

In 2011, Philippine researchers reported that by hybridizing papaya with Vasconcellea quercifolia, they had developed conventionally bred, nongenetically engineered papaya resistant to papaya ringspot virus (PRV).

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CULTIVARS

Carica papaya was the first transgenic fruit tree to have its genome sequenced. In response to the papaya ringspot virus outbreak in Hawaii, in 1998, genetically altered papaya were approved and brought to market (including 'SunUp' and 'Rainbow' varieties.) Varieties resistant to PRV have some DNA of this virus incorporated into the DNA of the plant. As of 2010, 80% of Hawaiian papaya plants were genetically modified. The modifications were made by University of Hawaii scientists, who made the modified seeds available to farmers without charge.

 

DISEASES AND PESTS

VIRUSES

Papaya ringspot virus is a well-known virus within plants in Florida. The first signs of the virus are yellowing and vein-clearing of younger leaves, as well as mottling yellow leaves. Infected leaves may obtain blisters, roughen or narrow, with blades sticking upwards from the middle of the leaves. The petioles and stems may develop dark green greasy streaks and in time become shorter. The ringspots are circular, C-shaped markings that are darker green than the fruit itself. In the later stages of the virus, the markings may become gray and crusty. Viral infections impact growth and reduce the fruit's quality. One of the biggest effects that viral infections have on papaya is the taste. As of 2010, the only way to protect papaya from this virus is genetic modification.

 

The papaya mosaic virus destroys the plant until only a small tuft of leaves are left. The virus affects both the leaves of the plant and the fruit. Leaves show thin, irregular, dark-green lines around the borders and clear areas around the veins. The more severely affected leaves are irregular and linear in shape. The virus can infect the fruit at any stage of its maturity. Fruits as young as 2 weeks old have been spotted with dark-green ringspots about 1 inch in diameter. Rings on the fruit are most likely seen on either the stem end or the blossom end. In the early stages of the ringspots, the rings tend to be many closed circles, but as the disease develops, the rings will increase in diameter consisting of one large ring. The difference between the ringspot and the mosaic viruses is the ripe fruit in the ringspot has mottling of colors and mosaic does not.

 

FUNGI

The fungus anthracnose is known to specifically attack papaya, especially the mature fruits. The disease starts out small with very few signs, such as water-soaked spots on ripening fruits. The spots become sunken, turn brown or black, and may get bigger. In some of the older spots, the fungus may produce pink spores. The fruit ends up being soft and having an off flavor because the fungus grows into the fruit.

 

The fungus powdery mildew occurs as a superficial white presence on the surface of the leaf in which it is easily recognized. Tiny, light yellow spots begin on the lower surfaces of the leaf as the disease starts to make its way. The spots enlarge and white powdery growth appears on the leaves. The infection usually appears at the upper leaf surface as white fungal growth. Powdery mildew is not as severe as other diseases.

 

The fungus phytophthora blight causes damping-off, root rot, stem rot, stem girdling, and fruit rot. Damping-off happens in young plants by wilting and death. The spots on established plants start out as white, water-soaked lesions at the fruit and branch scars. These spots enlarge and eventually cause death. The most dangerous feature of the disease is the infection of the fruit which may be toxic to consumers. The roots can also be severely and rapidly infected, causing the plant to brown and wilt away, collapsing within days.

 

PESTS

The papaya fruit fly lays its eggs inside of the fruit, possibly up to 100 or more eggs. The eggs usually hatch within 12 days when they begin to feed on seeds and interior parts of the fruit. When the larvae mature usually 16 days after being hatched, they eat their way out of the fruit, drop to the ground, and pupate in the soil to emerge within one to two weeks later as mature flies. The infected papaya will turn yellow and drop to the ground after infestation by the papaya fruit fly.

 

The two-spotted spider mite is a 0.5-mm-long brown or orange-red or a green, greenish yellow translucent oval pest. They all have needle-like piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed by piercing the plant tissue with their mouthparts, usually on the underside of the plant. The spider mites spin fine threads of webbing on the host plant, and when they remove the sap, the mesophyll tissue collapses and a small chlorotic spot forms at the feeding sites. The leaves of the papaya fruit turn yellow, gray, or bronze. If the spider mites are not controlled, they can cause the death of the fruit.

 

The papaya whitefly lays yellow, oval eggs that appear dusted on the undersides of the leaves. They eat papaya leaves, therefore damaging the fruit. There, the eggs developed into flies in three stages called instars. The first instar has well-developed legs and is the only mobile immature life stage. The crawlers insert their mouthparts in the lower surfaces of the leaf when they find it suitable and usually do not move again in this stage. The next instars are flattened, oval, and scale-like. In the final stage, the pupal whiteflies are more convex, with large, conspicuously red eyes.

 

CULINARY USES

The ripe fruit of the papaya is usually eaten raw, without skin or seeds. The unripe green fruit can be eaten cooked, and is used as an ingredient in salads and stews.

 

The black seeds of the papaya are edible and have a sharp, spicy taste. They are sometimes ground and used as a substitute for black pepper.

 

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Green papaya is used in Southeast Asian cooking, both raw and cooked. In some parts of Asia, the young leaves of the papaya are steamed and eaten like spinach.

 

Papayas became a part of Filipino cuisine after being introduced to the islands via the Manila galleons. Unripe or nearly ripe papayas (with orange flesh but still hard and green) are julienned and are commonly pickled into atchara which is ubiquitous as a side dish to salty dishes. Nearly ripe papayas can also be eaten fresh as ensaladang papaya (papaya salad) or cubed, and eaten dipped in vinegar or salt. Green papaya is also a common ingredient or filling in various savory dishes like okoy, tinola, ginataan, lumpia, and empanada, especially in the cuisines of northern Luzon.

 

In Indonesian cuisine, the unripe green fruits and young leaves are boiled for use as part of lalab salad, while the flower buds are sautéed and stir-fried with chillies and green tomatoes as Minahasan papaya flower vegetable dish.

 

In Thai cuisine, papaya is used to make Thai salads such as som tam and Thai curries such as kaeng som when still not fully ripe.

 

SOUTH AMERICA

In Brazil, the unripe fruits are often used to make sweets or preserves.

 

MEAT TENDERIZING

Both green papaya fruit and the plant's latex are rich in papain, a protease used for tenderizing meat and other proteins, as practiced currently by indigenous Americans, people of the Caribbean region, and the Philippines. It is now included as a component in some powdered meat tenderizers.

 

NUTRITION

Raw papaya pulp contains 88% water, 11% carbohydrates, and negligible fat and protein (table). In a 100 gram amount, papaya fruit provides 43 kilocalories and is a significant source of vitamin C (75% of the Daily Value, DV) and a moderate source of folate (10% DV), but otherwise has low content of nutrients (see table).

 

PHYTOCHEMICALS

Papaya skin, pulp and seeds contain a variety of phytochemicals, including carotenoids and polyphenols, as well as benzyl isothiocyanates and benzyl glucosinates, with skin and pulp levels that increase during ripening. Papaya seeds also contain the cyanogenic substance prunasin.

 

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

In traditional medicine, papaya leaves have been used as a treatment for malaria, an abortifacient, a purgative, or smoked to relieve asthma.

 

ALlERGIES AND SIDE EFFECTS

Papaya releases a latex fluid when not ripe, possibly causing irritation and an allergic reaction in some people. Because the enzyme papain acts as an allergen in sensitive individuals, meat that has been tenderized with it may induce an allergic reaction.

 

WIKIPEDIA

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. The Hicima leaves on the left are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

 

On the right are edible sweet potato leaves some of which were harvested that day to make a salad.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Restaurante Hacienda - Mama Nena - noni fruit - Cocina Campestre, Jarretaderas, Nayarit, Mexico.

 

Morinda citrifolia is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Its native range extends across Southeast Asia and Australasia, and the species is now cultivated throughout the tropics and widely naturalized.[1] Among some 100 names for the fruit across different regions are the more common English names of great morinda, Indian mulberry, noni, beach mulberry, and cheese fruit.[2]

 

The strong-smelling fruit has been eaten as a famine food or staple food among some cultures, and has been used in traditional medicine. In the consumer market, it has been introduced as a supplement in various formats, such as capsules, skin products, and juices.

Morinda citrifolia grows in shady forests, as well as on open rocky or sandy shores.[3] It reaches maturity in about 18 months, then yields between 4 and 8 kg (8.8 and 17.6 lb) of fruit every month throughout the year. It is tolerant of saline soils, drought conditions, and secondary soils. It is therefore found in a wide variety of habitats: volcanic terrains, lava-strewn coasts, and clearings or limestone outcrops, as well as in coralline atolls.[3] It can grow up to 9 m (30 ft) tall, and has large, simple, dark green, shiny and deeply veined leaves.

 

The plant bears flowers and fruits all year round. The fruit is a multiple fruit that has a pungent odour when ripening, and is hence also known as cheese fruit or even vomit fruit. It is oval in shape and reaches 10–18 centimetres (3.9–7.1 in) size. At first green, the fruit turns yellow then almost white as it ripens. It contains many seeds.[3]

 

Morinda citrifolia is especially attractive to weaver ants, which make nests from the leaves of the tree.[3] These ants protect the plant from some plant-parasitic insects. The smell of the fruit also attracts fruit bats, which aid in dispersing the seeds. A type of fruit fly, Drosophila sechellia, feeds exclusively on these fruits.[4]

 

A variety of beverages (juice drinks), powders (from dried ripe or unripe fruits), cosmetic products (lotions, soaps), oil (from seeds), leaf powders (for encapsulation or pills) have been introduced into the consumer market.[5]

 

Noni is sometimes called a "starvation fruit", implying it was used by indigenous peoples as emergency food during times of famine.[5] Despite its strong smell and bitter taste, the fruit was nevertheless eaten as a famine food,[6] and, in some Pacific Islands, even as a staple food, either raw or cooked.[7] Southeast Asians and Australian Aborigines consume the fruit raw with salt or cook it with curry.[8] The seeds are edible when roasted. In Thai cuisine, the leaves (known as bai-yo) are used as a green vegetable and are the main ingredient of kaeng bai-yo, cooked with coconut milk. The fruit (luk-yo) is added as a salad ingredient to some versions of somtam.

 

Traditional medicine

 

Green fruit, leaves, and root or rhizomes might have been used in Polynesian cultures as a general tonic, in addition to its traditional place in Polynesian culture as a famine food.[5]Although Morinda is considered to have biological properties in traditional medicine, there is no confirmed evidence of clinical efficacy for any intended use.[9] In 2018, a Hawaiianmanufacturer of noni food and skincare products was issued an FDA warning letter for marketing unapproved drugs and making false health claims in violation of the US Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.[10]

 

Dyes

 

Among Austronesian peoples, noni was traditionally used primarily for the production of dyes. It was carried into the Pacific Islands as canoe plants by Austronesian voyagers. Morinda bark produces a brownish-purplish dye that may be used for making batik. In Hawaii, yellowish dye is extracted from its roots to dye cloth.[11][12]

 

Nutrients and phytochemicals

 

Morinda citrifolia fruit powder contains carbohydrates and dietary fibre in moderate amounts.[13] These macronutrients evidently reside in the fruit pulp, as M. citrifolia juice has sparse nutrient content.[14] The main micronutrients of M. citrifolia pulp powder include vitamin C, niacin (vitamin B3), iron and potassium.[13] Vitamin A, calcium and sodium are present in moderate amounts. When M. citrifolia juice alone is analyzed and compared to pulp powder, only vitamin C is retained[14] in an amount (34 mg per 100 gram juice) that is 64% of the content of a raw navel orange (53 mg per 100 g or 89% of the Daily Value).[15]Sodium levels in M. citrifolia juice (about 3% of Dietary Reference Intake, DRI)[13] are high compared to an orange, and potassium content is moderate.[15]

 

Morinda citrifolia fruit contains a number of phytochemicals, including lignans, oligo- and polysaccharides, flavonoids, iridoids, fatty acids, scopoletin, catechin, beta-sitosterol, damnacanthal, and alkaloids.[16] Although these substances have been studied for bioactivity, current research is insufficient to conclude anything about their effects on human health.[1] These phytochemicals are not unique to M. citrifolia, as they exist in various plants.[11]

 

References

 

^ a b Nelson, SC (2006-04-01). "Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry: Morinda citrifolia (noni)". Traditional Tree Initiative.

^ "Some worldwide names for Morinda citrifolia L." The noni website, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2016.

^ a b c d Nelson, Scot C (March 2001). "Noni cultivation in Hawaii" (PDF). The noni website, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Retrieved 12 November 2016.

^ Jones, C.D. (1998). "The Genetic Basis of Drosophila sechellia‍'s Resistance to a Host Plant Toxin". Genetics. 149 (4): 1899–1908.

^ a b c Nelson, Scot C (8 October 2003). "Morinda citrifolia L." (PDF). Permanent Agriculture Resources, University of Hawaii. Retrieved 12 November 2016.

^ Krauss, BH (December 1993). Plants in Hawaiian Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-8248-1225-6.

^ Morton, Julia F. (1992). "The ocean-going noni, or Indian Mulberry (Morinda citrifolia, Rubiaceae) and some of its "colorful" relatives". Economic Botany. 46 (3): 241–56. doi:10.1007/BF02866623.

^ Cribb, A.B. & Cribb, J.W. (1975) Wild Food in Australia. Sydney: Collins.[page needed]

^ Potterat O, Hamburger M (2007). "Morinda citrifolia (Noni) fruit--phytochemistry, pharmacology, safety". Planta Medica. 73 (3): 191–9. doi:10.1055/s-2007-967115. PMID 17286240.

^ Darla Bracy, Division Director (18 July 2018). "Warning letter: Hawaiian Organic Noni, LLC". Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations, US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 15 August 2018.

^ a b Thompson, RH (1971). Naturally Occurring Anthraquinones. New York: Academic Press.[page needed]

^ Nelson, Scot C. (2006). "Pandanus tectorius (pandanus)". In Elevitch, Craig R. Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry (PDF). Permanent Agriculture Resources (PAR).

^ a b c Nelson, Scot C. (2006) "Nutritional Analysis of Hawaiian Noni (Noni Fruit Powder)" The Noni Website. Retrieved 15-06-2009.

^ a b Nelson, Scot C. (2006) "Nutritional Analysis of Hawaiian Noni (Pure Noni Fruit Juice)" The Noni Website. Retrieved 15-06-2009.

^ a b "Nutrition data for raw oranges, all commercial varieties, per 100 gram amount". Nutritiondata.com. Conde Nast for the USDA National Nutrient Database, Release SR-21. 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2016.

^ Levand, Oscar; Larson, Harold (2009). "Some Chemical Constituents of Morinda citrifolia". Planta Medica. 36 (06): 186–7. doi:10.1055/s-0028-1097264.

MAC having just unloaded groceries posing in her balcony garden.

 

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Jicama. It suddenly shot up over a couple days in the heat.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible. Poisonous!

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Sweet potato leaves at the bottom.

 

At the top. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

MAC brought home a jicama which reminded us an ex-US President’s pop star supporter’s description as to what will likely happen to the genitals of any men after they have taken a covid-19 jab.

 

Balcony gardening. Huge beautiful leaves which are poisonous. ☠️

Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

MAC brought home a jicama which reminded us an ex-US President’s pop star supporter’s description as to what will likely happen to the genitals of any men after they have taken a covid-19 jab.

 

Balcony gardening. Huge beautiful leaves which are poisonous. ☠️

Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

SANTE BARLEY CAN PREVENT AND HEAL AILMENTS due to the following:

  

P4D1 Enzyme

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Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)

∗ a very powerful Enzyme

∗Has anti-aging properties

∗Reduces the risk of Cancer and Cataract

∗Restores Functions and Repair Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) in older and less active cells

∗emoves Toxic substances from our cells and Enhance immune function

∗Neutralizes Superoxide Free Radicals (breakdown of synovial fluid that leads to inflammatory response in joints i.e. Arthritis, Bursitis, and Gout).

∗Helps the body to use minerals such as zing, copper, manganese effectively.

  

Chromium

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∗ Chromium can lower blood sugar and even out insulin level

  

Folic Acid

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∗ Rapid Cell Division and Growth such as infancy and pregnancy

∗ Needed to make DNA and RNA (building blocks of cells) Deoxyribonucleic Acid, Ribonucleic Acid

∗ Reduces 70% incidents of Spina Bifida and other Neural Tube Defect

∗ Prevents changes to DNA that may lead to Cancer

∗ Prevents Anemia

∗ Makes Normal Cells to Adults and Children

  

Phytochemicals

∗ Are plant chemicals coming from the soil that contains protective disease preventing compound.

∗ Can prevent and treat four of America's leading source of death namely: cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

  

7-O-GIO (Lutonarin) and 7-0-GIV (Saponarin)

∗ Very powerful Antioxidant

∗ An effective anti oxidant against Lipid Peroxidation caused by Ultra Violet Radiation

∗ Prevents Environmental Stress

∗ May play preventive role in Aging, mutagenesis, Carcinogenesis and Radiation Damage

  

Chlorophyll (Liquid Oxygenated Sunshine)

∗ Helps reduce platelet activating factor and protects blood vessels from damage.

∗ Chlorophyll is very effective throughout the micro-circulatory system, protecting the smallest vessels from damage as per George Washington University.

∗ Removes Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide in the body

∗ Powerful detoxifying agent for the Liver

∗ Stimulates hemoglobin Production

∗ Has wound healing properties

∗ Stimulates Red Blood Cells

  

Organic Sodium

∗ Dissolves calcium deposited on the joints and refills organic sodium in the stomach lining.

∗ Improves production of Hydrochloric Acid in the stomach that relieves digestion.

∗ arley has 775mg of Organic Sodium per 100 grams.

Peroxidase

  

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SCIENTIFIC CONCLUSIONS:

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The papaya (/pəˈpaɪə/, US: /pəˈpɑːjə/) (from Carib via Spanish), papaw (/pəˈpɔ) or pawpaw (/ˈpɔːpɔ] is the plant Carica papaya, one of the 22 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae. Its origin is in the tropics of the Americas, perhaps from southern Mexico and neighboring Central America.

 

DESCIPTION

The papaya is a small, sparsely branched tree, usually with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 m tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The lower trunk is conspicuously scarred where leaves and fruit were borne. The leaves are large, 50–70 cm in diameter, deeply palmately lobed, with seven lobes. All parts of the plant contain latex in articulated laticifers. Papayas are dioecious. The flowers are 5-parted and highly dimorphic, the male flowers with the stamens fused to the petals. The female flowers have a superior ovary and five contorted petals loosely connected at the base. Male and female flowers are borne in the leaf axils, the males in multiflowered dichasia, the female flowers is few-flowered dichasia. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night and are wind or insect pollinated. The fruit is a large berry about 15–45 cm long and 10–30 cm in diameter. It is ripe when it feels soft (as soft as a ripe avocado or a bit softer) and its skin has attained an amber to orange hue.

 

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

Native to Mexico and northern South America, papaya has become naturalized throughout the Caribbean Islands, Florida, Texas, California, Hawaii, and other tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

 

CULTIVATION

Papaya plants grow in three sexes: male, female, and hermaphrodite. The male produces only pollen, never fruit. The female produces small, inedible fruits unless pollinated. The hermaphrodite can self-pollinate since its flowers contain both male stamens and female ovaries. Almost all commercial papaya orchards contain only hermaphrodites.

 

Originally from southern Mexico (particularly Chiapas and Veracruz), Central America, and northern South America, the papaya is now cultivated in most tropical countries. In cultivation, it grows rapidly, fruiting within 3 years. It is, however, highly frost-sensitive, limiting its production to tropical climates. Temperatures below −2° C are greatly harmful if not fatal. In Florida, California, and Texas, growth is generally limited to southern parts of the states. It prefers sandy, well-drained soil, as standing water will kill the plant within 24 hours.

 

PRODUCTION

In 2016, global production of papayas was 13.05 million tonnes, led by India with 44% of the world total (table). Global papaya production grew significantly over the early 21st century, mainly as a result of increased production in India and demand by the United States.

 

CULTIVARS

Two kinds of papayas are commonly grown. One has sweet, red or orange flesh, and the other has yellow flesh; in Australia, these are called "red papaya" and "yellow papaw", respectively. Either kind, picked green, is called a "green papaya".

 

The large-fruited, red-fleshed 'Maradol', 'Sunrise', and 'Caribbean Red' papayas often sold in U.S. markets are commonly grown in Mexico and Belize.

 

In 2011, Philippine researchers reported that by hybridizing papaya with Vasconcellea quercifolia, they had developed conventionally bred, nongenetically engineered papaya resistant to papaya ringspot virus (PRV).

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CULTIVARS

Carica papaya was the first transgenic fruit tree to have its genome sequenced. In response to the papaya ringspot virus outbreak in Hawaii, in 1998, genetically altered papaya were approved and brought to market (including 'SunUp' and 'Rainbow' varieties.) Varieties resistant to PRV have some DNA of this virus incorporated into the DNA of the plant. As of 2010, 80% of Hawaiian papaya plants were genetically modified. The modifications were made by University of Hawaii scientists, who made the modified seeds available to farmers without charge.

 

DISEASES AND PESTS

VIRUSES

Papaya ringspot virus is a well-known virus within plants in Florida. The first signs of the virus are yellowing and vein-clearing of younger leaves, as well as mottling yellow leaves. Infected leaves may obtain blisters, roughen or narrow, with blades sticking upwards from the middle of the leaves. The petioles and stems may develop dark green greasy streaks and in time become shorter. The ringspots are circular, C-shaped markings that are darker green than the fruit itself. In the later stages of the virus, the markings may become gray and crusty. Viral infections impact growth and reduce the fruit's quality. One of the biggest effects that viral infections have on papaya is the taste. As of 2010, the only way to protect papaya from this virus is genetic modification.

 

The papaya mosaic virus destroys the plant until only a small tuft of leaves are left. The virus affects both the leaves of the plant and the fruit. Leaves show thin, irregular, dark-green lines around the borders and clear areas around the veins. The more severely affected leaves are irregular and linear in shape. The virus can infect the fruit at any stage of its maturity. Fruits as young as 2 weeks old have been spotted with dark-green ringspots about 1 inch in diameter. Rings on the fruit are most likely seen on either the stem end or the blossom end. In the early stages of the ringspots, the rings tend to be many closed circles, but as the disease develops, the rings will increase in diameter consisting of one large ring. The difference between the ringspot and the mosaic viruses is the ripe fruit in the ringspot has mottling of colors and mosaic does not.

 

FUNGI

The fungus anthracnose is known to specifically attack papaya, especially the mature fruits. The disease starts out small with very few signs, such as water-soaked spots on ripening fruits. The spots become sunken, turn brown or black, and may get bigger. In some of the older spots, the fungus may produce pink spores. The fruit ends up being soft and having an off flavor because the fungus grows into the fruit.

 

The fungus powdery mildew occurs as a superficial white presence on the surface of the leaf in which it is easily recognized. Tiny, light yellow spots begin on the lower surfaces of the leaf as the disease starts to make its way. The spots enlarge and white powdery growth appears on the leaves. The infection usually appears at the upper leaf surface as white fungal growth. Powdery mildew is not as severe as other diseases.

 

The fungus phytophthora blight causes damping-off, root rot, stem rot, stem girdling, and fruit rot. Damping-off happens in young plants by wilting and death. The spots on established plants start out as white, water-soaked lesions at the fruit and branch scars. These spots enlarge and eventually cause death. The most dangerous feature of the disease is the infection of the fruit which may be toxic to consumers. The roots can also be severely and rapidly infected, causing the plant to brown and wilt away, collapsing within days.

 

PESTS

The papaya fruit fly lays its eggs inside of the fruit, possibly up to 100 or more eggs. The eggs usually hatch within 12 days when they begin to feed on seeds and interior parts of the fruit. When the larvae mature usually 16 days after being hatched, they eat their way out of the fruit, drop to the ground, and pupate in the soil to emerge within one to two weeks later as mature flies. The infected papaya will turn yellow and drop to the ground after infestation by the papaya fruit fly.

 

The two-spotted spider mite is a 0.5-mm-long brown or orange-red or a green, greenish yellow translucent oval pest. They all have needle-like piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed by piercing the plant tissue with their mouthparts, usually on the underside of the plant. The spider mites spin fine threads of webbing on the host plant, and when they remove the sap, the mesophyll tissue collapses and a small chlorotic spot forms at the feeding sites. The leaves of the papaya fruit turn yellow, gray, or bronze. If the spider mites are not controlled, they can cause the death of the fruit.

 

The papaya whitefly lays yellow, oval eggs that appear dusted on the undersides of the leaves. They eat papaya leaves, therefore damaging the fruit. There, the eggs developed into flies in three stages called instars. The first instar has well-developed legs and is the only mobile immature life stage. The crawlers insert their mouthparts in the lower surfaces of the leaf when they find it suitable and usually do not move again in this stage. The next instars are flattened, oval, and scale-like. In the final stage, the pupal whiteflies are more convex, with large, conspicuously red eyes.

 

CULINARY USES

The ripe fruit of the papaya is usually eaten raw, without skin or seeds. The unripe green fruit can be eaten cooked, and is used as an ingredient in salads and stews.

 

The black seeds of the papaya are edible and have a sharp, spicy taste. They are sometimes ground and used as a substitute for black pepper.

 

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Green papaya is used in Southeast Asian cooking, both raw and cooked. In some parts of Asia, the young leaves of the papaya are steamed and eaten like spinach.

 

Papayas became a part of Filipino cuisine after being introduced to the islands via the Manila galleons. Unripe or nearly ripe papayas (with orange flesh but still hard and green) are julienned and are commonly pickled into atchara which is ubiquitous as a side dish to salty dishes. Nearly ripe papayas can also be eaten fresh as ensaladang papaya (papaya salad) or cubed, and eaten dipped in vinegar or salt. Green papaya is also a common ingredient or filling in various savory dishes like okoy, tinola, ginataan, lumpia, and empanada, especially in the cuisines of northern Luzon.

 

In Indonesian cuisine, the unripe green fruits and young leaves are boiled for use as part of lalab salad, while the flower buds are sautéed and stir-fried with chillies and green tomatoes as Minahasan papaya flower vegetable dish.

 

In Thai cuisine, papaya is used to make Thai salads such as som tam and Thai curries such as kaeng som when still not fully ripe.

 

SOUTH AMERICA

In Brazil, the unripe fruits are often used to make sweets or preserves.

 

MEAT TENDERIZING

Both green papaya fruit and the plant's latex are rich in papain, a protease used for tenderizing meat and other proteins, as practiced currently by indigenous Americans, people of the Caribbean region, and the Philippines. It is now included as a component in some powdered meat tenderizers.

 

NUTRITION

Raw papaya pulp contains 88% water, 11% carbohydrates, and negligible fat and protein (table). In a 100 gram amount, papaya fruit provides 43 kilocalories and is a significant source of vitamin C (75% of the Daily Value, DV) and a moderate source of folate (10% DV), but otherwise has low content of nutrients (see table).

 

PHYTOCHEMICALS

Papaya skin, pulp and seeds contain a variety of phytochemicals, including carotenoids and polyphenols, as well as benzyl isothiocyanates and benzyl glucosinates, with skin and pulp levels that increase during ripening. Papaya seeds also contain the cyanogenic substance prunasin.

 

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

In traditional medicine, papaya leaves have been used as a treatment for malaria, an abortifacient, a purgative, or smoked to relieve asthma.

 

ALlERGIES AND SIDE EFFECTS

Papaya releases a latex fluid when not ripe, possibly causing irritation and an allergic reaction in some people. Because the enzyme papain acts as an allergen in sensitive individuals, meat that has been tenderized with it may induce an allergic reaction.

 

WIKIPEDIA

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible. Poisonous! ☠️

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Muscari comosum (L.) Mill., syn.: Bellevalia comosa (L.) Kunth, Botrycomus vulgaris Fourr. Eubotrys comosa (L.) Raf., Hyacinthus comosus L. Leopoldia comosa (L.) Parl., Scilla comosa (L.) Salisb. and about 50 more heterotypic synonyms.

Family: Asparagaceae Juss.

EN: Tassel Hyacinth, DE: Schopfige Traubenhyazinthe

Slo.: čopasta hrušica

 

Date: April 25. and April 26. 2006

Lat: 44,37153 Long: 14,77937

Code: Bot_0116/2006_DSC0169 and Bot_0117/2006_DSC0257

 

Habitat: unmaintained grassland plot among dry stone walls, flat terrain, calcareous, skeletal ground; open, sunny, dry location; elevation 31 m (100 feet), average precipitation ~ 950 mm/year, average temperature 13-15 °C, Mediterranean phytogeographical region.

 

Substratum: soil.

 

Location: Croatia, Zadar region, Zadar archipelago, island Olib, south of the village of Olib, at the beginning of the path to the Banve bay.

 

Comment on Flickr album Muscari comosum: Muscari comosum is a perennial species that is widespread from the Canary Islands, Central Europe, to Iran, as well as throughout Northern Africa and the Mediterranean region. It has also been introduced in several states across both the eastern and western United States, as well as in England and Australia (Ref. 4). In the Mediterranean region, it is a common plant, which is also true for the Adriatic islands and mainland coastlines. Less frequently, it can be found in more continental regions (Ref. 5). Muscari comosum is a bulbous geophyte. Its bulbs are consumed as a vegetable and have historically been used to treat various diseases and conditions. Numerous pharmaceutical properties have been described, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, anti-Alzheimer’s disease, antibacterial, and immune-stimulant effects (Ref. 1).

 

The plant's inflorescence features two distinct types of flowers. The bright, colored, violet-blue flowers at the top of the inflorescence are sterile and are arranged in a corymbose terminal tuft. They sit on long pedicels, which are also vividly colored. The fertile flowers are pale brown-green often with a hint of violet and are located below the sterile ones in a long, cylindrical inflorescence. These, too, are pediculate. The overall appearance of the plants is unusual. Additionally, their narrow and elongated leaves are often strangely twisted. Based on these characteristics, one can easily recognize the plant even when it is not in bloom.

 

Ref.:

(1) Jaiswal, V., Hae-Jeung, L. (2024), The Bioactivity and Phytochemicals of Muscari comosum (Leopoldia comosa), a Plant of Multiple Pharmacological Activities, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2592; doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052592

(2) A. Martinči et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnična Založba Slovenije (2007), p 738.

(3) T. Nikolić, Flora Croatica, Vaskularna flora Republike Hrvatske, Vol. 2., Alfa d.d.. Zagreb (2020), p 213.

(4) POWO (2024). "Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ (accessed June 22, 2025)

(5) T. Nikolić ed. (2015 - 2024): Flora Croatica Database (FCD) (hirc.botanic.hr/fcd), Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb (accessed date: June 22. 2025).

  

The blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) is a woody shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its piquant berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia where it prefers damp fertile soils and is widely cultivated both commercially and domestically. It is winter hardy but cold weather at flowering time during the spring reduces the size of the crop. Bunches of small, glossy black fruit develop along the stems in the summer and can be harvested by hand or by machine. The fruit is rich in vitamin C, various other nutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidants. Blackcurrants can be eaten raw but are usually cooked in a variety of sweet or savoury dishes. They are used to make jams, jellies and syrups and are grown commercially for the juice market. The fruit is also used in the preparation of alcoholic beverages and both fruit and foliage have uses in traditional medicine and the preparation of dyes.

MAC having just unloaded groceries.

 

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

By this time we were dodging the showers at Kew Gardens!

 

From Wikipedia -

Basella alba is an edible perennial vine in the family Basellaceae.

 

It is found in tropical Asia and Africa where it is widely used as a leaf vegetable. It is known under various common names, including Pui, Vine Spinach, Red Vine Spinach, Climbing Spinach, Creeping Spinach, Buffalo Spinach, Malabar Spinach and Ceylon Spinach among others.

 

Basella alba is native to the Indian Subcontinent, south-east Asia and New Guinea. It is reportedly naturalized in China, tropical Africa, Brazil, Belize, Colombia, the West Indies, Fiji and French Polynesia.

 

Typical of leaf vegetables, Malabar Spinach is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It is low in calories by volume, but high in protein per calorie. The succulent mucilage is a particularly rich source of soluble fibre. Among many other possibilities, Malabar Spinach may be used to thicken soups or stir-fries with garlic and chilli peppers.

 

In the Philippines the leaves of this vegetable are one of the main ingredients in an all vegetable dish called utan that is served over rice.

 

In Karnataka Cuisine (Karavali and Malnad regions), the leaves and stems are used to make Basale Soppu Saaru/Curry (Especially in combination with Jackfruit seed). In Bengali cuisine it is widely used both in a vegetable dish, cooked with red pumpkin, and in a non-vegetarian dish, cooked with the bones of the Ilish fish. In Andhra Pradesh, a southern state in India, a curry of Basella and Yam is made popularly known as Kanda Bachali Koora (Yam and Basella curry). Also it used to make the snack item bachali koora bajji. In Odisha, India, it is used to make Curries and Saaga (any type of dish made from green leafy vegetables is called Saaga in Odisha). In the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, India, it is used to make bhaji (भजी).

 

The vegetable is used in Chinese cuisine. It has many names including Flowing Water Vegetable. It is often used in stir-fries and soups. In Vietnam, particularly the north, it is cooked with crab meat, luffa and jute to make soup.

 

In Africa, the mucilaginous cooked shoots are most commonly used.

 

Malabar Spinach can be found at many Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Indian grocery stores, as well as farmers' markets. It has been shown to contain certain phenolic phytochemicals and it has antioxidant properties.

MAC having just unloaded groceries.

 

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

#Migraines are a larger, more awful version of your average headache. They make people feel debilitated, #dizzy, and #nauseous as well.

 

Normal medications don’t work for most, but others may try the green.

 

There’s data being shown that those with migraines may actually find a lot of solace within this herb, and here, we’ll go over if migraines really work for cannabis or not.

 

What is a Migraine

 

A migraine is more than just a normal headache, but they are much worse than that. The problem is, there are a third of people dealing with this, and they don’t get the correct treatment.

 

They usually have either an aura, or they don’t. those with an aura are more visuals, where they have tunnel vision, blind spots, and their vision tends to zigzag.

 

However, the auras are also rearing their head in the form of confusion, the pins and needles sensation, weakness, and of course, other problems as well that go with it.

 

The cause of this can be the following:

 

Emotional stress

Food sensitivity

Caffeine

Skipping meals

Hormone changes

Changes in weather

Loud noises

 

Does #Cannabis Help?

 

Where does cannabis fit into all of this?

 

Why would an herb help mitigate these attacks.

This is because of the #ECS, which is of course, what controls your #digestive, #nervous, #immune, and your #musculoskeletal system that’s there. All of these of course are physiological, and it can be really good for helping you get the most that you can for this too.

 

For some of these, the ECS is a network that works together to create homeostasis, which is a pretty word for petty much balance all over the entirety of the system. The ECS comprises of different receptors that signal in this, and the #cannabis plant binds to this, which can help to fill the void that otherwise would not be filled.

 

The Research

 

The theory behind why cannabis can help is because of the #inflammation, binding to this, and helping to mitigate these feelings. This also can help those with IBS

and fibro too.

 

The thing is though, is that there isn’t enough evidence that provides a real view of this. There are some scientific studies which show that it can be efficient in handling this, but there aren’t any controlled tests.

 

However there is a chance that medical marijuana can help with this. The phytochemicals in this much as terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids are all there, and with all of the different cultivars, it’s definitely possible to see what’s going on.

 

There are different high-THC version that found that it actually helped with this, and according to studies that were anecdotal, about half that reported said it helped with this.

Recently, there was a survey which said that about 70% of those who participated were able to say that yes, cannabis helped with their migraines, but the researchers did say that it needed further studies in order to ensure that the headaches didn’t get too bad.

 

In a human trial that looked at both High-THC and High-CBD strains, it found that for the most part, both of these did help with this.

 

It was found too that of course when you look at structures, THC does mimic the anandamide that’s near the CB1 receptor, and for those who have a deficiency of the endocannabinoid system, there is a theory that this could be filled in and helped with function.

 

So can it help? Perhaps, but there is still some studies which must be done with this.

 

Balcony gardening. Huge beautiful leaves which are poisonous. ☠️

Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Muscari comosum (L.) Mill., syn.: Bellevalia comosa (L.) Kunth, Botrycomus vulgaris Fourr. Eubotrys comosa (L.) Raf., Hyacinthus comosus L. Leopoldia comosa (L.) Parl., Scilla comosa (L.) Salisb. and about 50 more heterotypic synonyms.

Family: Asparagaceae Juss.

EN: Tassel Hyacinth, DE: Schopfige Traubenhyazinthe

Slo.: čopasta hrušica

 

Date: May 03. 2017

Lat.: 45,02857 Long.: 14,66481

Code: Bot_1052/2017_DSC00998

 

Habitat: low unmaintained grassland heavily overgrown with bushes, abandoned agricultural plots among dry stony walls; calcareous, skeletal ground; open, sunny, dry location; elevation 265 m (870 feet), average precipitation about 1.100 mm/ year, average temperature 12-14 °C, Sub-Mediterranean phytogeographical region.

 

Substratum: soil

 

Location: Croatia, Rijeka region, Kvarner Bay, island Krk, east of Punat, ~ 300 m south of the main road Krk - Baška.

 

Comment on Flickr album Muscari comosum: Muscari comosum is a perennial species that is widespread from the Canary Islands, Central Europe, to Iran, as well as throughout Northern Africa and the Mediterranean region. It has also been introduced in several states across both the eastern and western United States, as well as in England and Australia (Ref. 4). In the Mediterranean region, it is a common plant, which is also true for the Adriatic islands and mainland coastlines. Less frequently, it can be found in more continental regions (Ref. 5). Muscari comosum is a bulbous geophyte. Its bulbs are consumed as a vegetable and have historically been used to treat various diseases and conditions. Numerous pharmaceutical properties have been described, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, anti-Alzheimer’s disease, antibacterial, and immune-stimulant effects (Ref. 1).

 

The plant's inflorescence features two distinct types of flowers. The bright, colored, violet-blue flowers at the top of the inflorescence are sterile and are arranged in a corymbose terminal tuft. They sit on long pedicels, which are also vividly colored. The fertile flowers are pale brown-green often with a hint of violet and are located below the sterile ones in a long, cylindrical inflorescence. These, too, are pediculate. The overall appearance of the plants is unusual. Additionally, their narrow and elongated leaves are often strangely twisted. Based on these characteristics, one can easily recognize the plant even when it is not in bloom.

 

Ref.:

(1) Jaiswal, V., Hae-Jeung, L. (2024), The Bioactivity and Phytochemicals of Muscari comosum (Leopoldia comosa), a Plant of Multiple Pharmacological Activities, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2592; doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052592

(2) A. Martinči et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnična Založba Slovenije (2007), p 738.

(3) T. Nikolić, Flora Croatica, Vaskularna flora Republike Hrvatske, Vol. 2., Alfa d.d.. Zagreb (2020), p 213.

(4) POWO (2024). "Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ (accessed June 22, 2025)

(5) T. Nikolić ed. (2015 - 2024): Flora Croatica Database (FCD) (hirc.botanic.hr/fcd), Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb (accessed date: June 22. 2025).

  

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves are inedible.

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Balcony gardening. Nice weather again. Hicima leaves/vines are inedible. Poisonous!

ONLY the root portion of jicama is edible. The leaves, flowers and vines of the plant contain rotenone, a natural insecticide designed to protect the plant from predators. Eating any of these parts of the plant can cause a toxic reaction.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama (/ˈhɪkəmə/ or /dʒɪˈkɑːmə/;[1] Spanish jícama [ˈxikama] (About this soundlisten); from Nahuatl xīcamatl, [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]), 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. Pachyrhizus tuberosus[2] and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species. The naming of this group of edible plants seems confused, with much overlap of similar or the same common names.

 

Pachyrhizus erosus

 

Pachyrhizus erosus Blanco2.249.png

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: (unranked):

Angiosperms: (unranked):

Eudicots: (unranked):

Rosids

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Pachyrhizus

Species: P. erosus

Binomial name: Pachyrhizus erosus

(L.) Urb.

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 P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jicama de aguaand jicama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the aguaform has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice, and is the preferred form for market.[3][4]

 

Botany:

 

Other names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. 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.[4]

  

Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market

The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 m given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to 2 m and weigh up to 20 kg. The heaviest jícama root ever recorded weighed 23 kg and was found in 2010 in the Philippines (where they are called singkamas).[5] Jicama is frost-tender and requires 9 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 5 months without frost, as it will still produce tubers, but they will be smaller. Warm, temperate areas with at least 5 months without frost can start seed 8 to 10 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. Jicama 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 seed once the soil has warmed in the spring.[6]

 

History:

 

The jicama originated in Mexico and central America.[7] It has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC.[7] In the 17th century, the jicama was introduced to Asia by the Spanish.[7]

 

In cooking:

 

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, and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice, alguashte, and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. Jícama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce.[8] 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.[9] The exterior of the seed pods are edible and can be used in cooking, for example the Ilocano dish “Bunga ng singkamas” where it is cooked in a stew as the main ingredient.

 

Spread to Asia:

 

Jícama

Yambean (jicama), raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy: 159 kJ (38 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 8.82 g

Sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary fiber: 4.9 g

Fat: 0.09 g

Protein: 0.72 g

Vitamins: Quantity%DV†.

Thiamine (B1): 2%0.02 mg

Riboflavin (B2): 2%0.029 mg

Niacin (B3): 1%0.2 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5): 3%0.135 mg

Vitamin B6: 3%0.042 mg

Folate (B9): 3%12 μg

Choline: 3%13.6 mg

Vitamin C: 24%20.2 mg

Minerals: Quantity%DV†

Calcium: 1%12 mg

Iron: 5%0.6 mg

Magnesium: 3%12 mg

Manganese: 3%0.06 mg

Phosphorus: 3%18 mg

Potassium: 3%150 mg

Sodium: 0%4 mg

Zinc: 2%0.16 mg

 

Link to USDA Database entry

 

Units:

 

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

 

Source: USDA Food Data Central

 

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines (where it is known as singkamas, from Nahuatl xicamatl),[10] 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, jícama is usually eaten fresh with condiments such as rice vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or with bagoong (shrimp paste). In Malay, it is known by the name ubi sengkuang. In Indonesia, jícama is known as bengkuang. This root crop is also known by people in Sumatra and Java,[citation needed] and eaten at fresh fruit bars or mixed in the rojak (a kind of spicy fruit salad). Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is called "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 it has become a part of their culture.[11]

 

It is known by its Chinese name bang kuang to the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as dòushǔ (豆薯; lit. ‘bean potato’) or liáng shǔ (涼薯), as sa1 got (沙葛, same as "turnip") in Yue Chinese/Cantonese, and as mang-guang (芒光) in Teochew, where the word is borrowed from the Malay, and as dìguā (地瓜) in Guizhou province and several neighboring provinces of China, the latter term being shared with sweet potatoes. Jícama has become popular in Vietnamese food as an ingredient in pie, where it is called cây củ đậu (in northern Vietnam) or củ sắn or sắn nước (in southern Vietnam).

 

In Myanmar, it is called စိမ်းစားဥ (sane-saar-u). Its Thai name is มันแกว (man kaeo).[12] In Cambodia, it is known as ដំឡូងរលួស /dɑmlɔoŋ rəluəh/ or under its Chinese name as ប៉ិកួៈ ~ ប៉ិគក់ /peʔkŭəʔ/.[13]In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru. In Laos, it is called man phao (ມັນເພົາ),[14]smaller and tastes a little sweeter than the Mexican type. It is used as a snack by peeling off the outer layer of the skin, then cutting into bite sizes for eating like an apple or a pear.

 

Its formal Japanese common name is kuzu-imo (葛芋, lit. =‘kudzu vine’+ ‘tuber’), though it may be referred to as benkowan (ベンコワン) or bankuan (バンクアン) after the Indonesian name bengkuang or as hikama (ヒカマ) as in the Mexican name.[15]

 

Nutrition:

 

Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber (notably inulin).[16] 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 and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C.[17]

 

Storage:

 

Learn more:

This section does not cite any sources. (July 2017)

Jícama should be stored dry, between 12 and 16 °C (53 and 60 °F). As colder temperatures will damage the roots, whole unpeeled jicama root should not be refrigerated. A fresh root stored at an appropriate temperature will keep for a month or two.

 

References:

 

^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. S.v. "Jicama." Retrieved July 18, 2017 from www.thefreedictionary.com/jicama

^ Pachyrhizus tuberosus

^ Johnson, Hunter. "Extension Vegetable Specialist". UC-Davis.

^ a b "Globalization of Foods-Jicama". Global Bhasin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ 'Heaviest' Singkamas Found in Ilocos

^ "Jicama Growing Information". Green Harvest. Retrieved 31 July 2013.

^ a b c Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 0415927463.

^ Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 194. ISBN 1-931686-80-7.

^ Duke, James A. (1992). "Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. CRC Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

^ "Singkamas". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

^ "What is Jicama?". Innovateus. Retrieved 30 July 2013.

^ So Sethaputra, New Model Thai-English Dictionary, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich, 1965, p. 366.

^ Pauline Dy Phon, វចនានុក្រមរុក្ខជាតិប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia, ភ្នំពេញ Phnom Penh, បោះពុម្ពលើកទី ១, រោងពុម្ព ហ ធីម អូឡាំពិក (រក្សាសិទ្ធិ៖ អ្នកគ្រូ ឌី ផុន) គ.ស. ២០០០, ទំព័រ ៤៨៥, 1st edition: 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim (© Pauline Dy Phon), 1er tirage : 2000, Imprimerie Olympic Hor Thim, p. 485; វចនានុក្រមខ្មែរ ពុទ្ធសាសនបណ្ឌិត្យ ភ្នំពេញ ព.ស. ២៥១០-២៥១១ គ.ស. ១៩៦៧-១៩៦៨ ទំព័រ ៦២៧, ១០១៣, Dictionnaire cambodgien, Institut bouddhique de Phnom Penh, 1967-1968, p. 627, 1013.

^ Reinhorn, Marc, Dictionnaire laotien-français, Paris: CNRS, 1970, p. 1635.

^ Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (February 2019), Baiomasu nenryō bi anteichōtatsu/jizokukanōsei ni kakawaru chōsa バイオマス燃料の安定調達・持続可能性等に係る調査 [Study regarding the stable procurement, sustainability, etc., of biomass fuels] (PDF), p. 16, n9

^ Hughes SR, Qureshi N, López-Núñez JC, Jones MA, Jarodsky JM, Galindo-Leva LÁ, Lindquist MR (2017). "Utilization of inulin-containing waste in industrial fermentations to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals". World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 33 (4): 48. doi:10.1007/s11274-017-2241-6. PMID 28341907. S2CID 23678976.

^ "Nutrition Data: Yambean (jicama), raw". Nutrition Data. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

Grapefruit is an excellent source of many nutrients and phytochemicals that contribute to a healthy diet. Grapefruit is a good source of vitamin C,[18][29] contains the fiber pectin,[30] and the pink and red hues contain the beneficial antioxidant lycopene.[18][31] Studies have shown grapefruit helps lower cholesterol,[18][32] and there is evidence that the seeds have antioxidant properties.[33] Grapefruit forms a core part of the "grapefruit diet", the theory being that the fruit's low glycemic index is able to help the body's metabolism burn fat.[34]

Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) has been claimed to have strong antimicrobial properties against bacteria and fungi. However, no studies have demonstrated any efficacy by GSE as an antimicrobial for either bacteria or fungi. Additionally, although GSE is promoted as a highly effective plant-based preservative by some natural personal care manufacturers, studies have shown that the apparent antimicrobial activity associated with GSE preparations is merely due to contamination with synthetic preservatives.[35][36][37][38][39]

Since grapefruit juice is known to inhibit enzymes necessary for the clearance of some drugs and hormones, some have hypothesized that grapefruit juice may play an indirect role in the development of hormone-dependent cancers. A 2007 study found a correlation between eating a quarter of grapefruit daily and a 30% increase in risk for breast cancer in post-menopausal women. The study points to the inhibition of CYP3A4 enzyme by grapefruit, which metabolizes estrogen.[40] However, a 2008 study has shown that grapefruit consumption does not increase breast cancer risk and found a significant decrease in breast cancer risk with greater intake of grapefruit in women who never used hormone therapy.[41]

Grapefruit contains large quantities of a simple polyamine called spermidine, which may be related to aging. It is known to be necessary for cell growth and maturation, and as cells age their level of spermidine is known to fall. Scientists have shown that feeding spermidine to worms, fruit flies and yeast significantly prolongs their lifespan. In addition, adding spermidine to the diet of mice decreased molecular markers of aging, and when human immune cells were cultured in a medium containing spermidine, they also lived longer.

Introduction: Plants are a limitless gift of nature to humans and they possess very appreciative values and roles. They have stood the test of time in the life of man since creation. All over the world, they are hugely exploited for food, fuel, timber, medicine etc. The natural endowment of plants with numerous metabolites and bioactive compounds makes them good sources of therapeutic agents capable of replacing synthetic antibiotics; For example, Salversan and Penicillin are synthetic drugs formerly used for the treatment of Syphilis and Staphylococcus aureus infections, respectively, but which became less preferred because these pathogens developed resistance to the drugs.

 

Aim: This study was aimed at evaluating Euphorbia abyssinica (Desert Candle), a medicinal plant extensively used in folklore medicine among the Kendem people of South-west Cameroon for antibacterial activity and extracts analyzed for phytochemical composition.

 

Study Design: The completely randomized block design was used and data analyzed using of two way analysis of variance. Significant means were separated using Duncan’s New Multiple Range Test.

 

Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria, between April 2011 and August 2012.

 

Methodology: Extraction was done using absolute methanol, 50% methanol (in water) and water as solvents. Qualitative analysis methods were used to assay the phytochemical constituents. Agar-well diffusion, macro broth dilution and agar dilution and time-kill assay were the susceptibility test methods adapted.

 

Results: The phytochemical constituents detected were alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, carbohydrates and steroids, and saponins. The 50% methanol extract of the stem-bark was highly active against Staphyloccocus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and compared favorably with the Gentamycin control drug. The inhibition zone diameters (IZDs) obtained with 50% methanol extract measured 23 mm for S. aureus and 19 mm for P. aeruginosa compared to 18 mm achieved with the absolute methanol extract for both S. aureus and P. aeniginosa. For the aqueous extract the overall IZD range of 10±1.60-13±2.16 mm. The susceptibility patterns obtained using both dilutions (agar and macro-broth) methods were similar to that obtained with the agar diffusion method above. S. aureus (with MIC, 10.93±1.00-; MBC, 25-mg/mL, agar dilution or MIC, 3.9±1.60 -, MBC, 12.5-mg/mL, macro broth dilution methods, respectively). It was considered to be the most significantly susceptible bacteria strain tested (significant mean value 3.933), while E. coli was the least susceptible (with MIC, 50±0.00-, MBC, 100-mg/mL, in the agar dilution; MIC, 25±0.00-, MBC, 50-mg/mL in the broth dilution and a significant mean value of 14.70). The stem-bark extracts was also significantly more active than the latex extracts P= .05 with significant mean values of 13.48 and 19.53 respectively. In the time-kill assay, all (100%) the organisms tested were killed by 50% methanol extract of E. abyssinica at concentrations equivalent to 1MIC- 4MIC.

 

Conclusion: E. abyssinica extracts showed considerable antibacterial activity against the bacterial species tested. These findings authenticate the folklore use of Euphorbia abyssinica for broad spectrum treatment of bacterial infections. The determination of the antimicrobial activity of Euphorbia abyssinica stem (bark and Latex extracts) extract included the 50% methanol, absolute methanol and aqueous extracts of these plant parts. The antimicrobial activity variously exhibited by the 50% methanol extracts of all the two plant parts tested, is significant. This is because it validates the popular traditional uses of dilute alcohol concoctions of medicinal plant preparations in ethno medicinal practice in south-West region of Cameroon. Secondly, the results indicated that these herbs used in traditional medicine have selective antimicrobial activities. Thus, the microorganisms which were susceptible to these extracts are those often associated with wound and ear infections, urinary and gastrointestinal tract infections as well as pyrexia of unknown origin. This explains the discriminate uses of these plants in the treatment of particular ailments. These findings provide evidence that E. abyssinica is a strong candidate in microgram concentrations while the plant extracts were effective in milligram concentrations. Therefore actual comparison between the control drugs and the extracts would await isolation, purification and determination of molar concentrations of the pure active ingredients of these plants extracts.

 

Author Details:

 

Jacqueline Ebob Tarh

Department of Biological Sciences, Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, Nigeria.

 

Christian Ukwuoma Iroegbu

Department of Biological Sciences, Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, Nigeria.

  

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