jicama

jicama
/hee"keuh meuh, hik"euh-/, n.
the large, edible, tuberous root of a tropical American plant, Pachyrhizus erosus, of the legume family, eaten as a vegetable either raw or boiled.
[1900-05; < MexSp < Nahuatl xicama, xicamatl]

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vine (Pachyrhizus erosus, or P. tuberosus), also called yam bean.

A legume native of Mexico and Central and South America, it is grown for its edible root. The irregularly globular, brown-skinned tubers are white-fleshed, crisp, and juicy. There are two varieties, those with clear juice and those with milky juice. Both have a mild flavour and are eaten raw or cooked. Sometimes very young seedpods of the plant are eaten, but the mature seeds are highly toxic.

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plant
also called  Yam Bean 

      (species Pachyrhizus erosus, or P. tuberosus), leguminous vine native to Mexico and Central and South America, grown for its edible tuberous root. The plant's irregularly globular, brown-skinned tubers are white-fleshed, crisp, and juicy; some varieties (jícama de aqua) have clear juices, and some (jícama de leche) have milky juice. Both types of tubers are mild-flavoured and usually are eaten raw in salads or sprinkled with lime juice and powdered chili peppers as a snack. Jícama can also be cooked. Although the very young seedpods of the plant are sometimes eaten, the mature seeds contain rotenone, a chemical used as an insecticide, and are highly toxic.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • jicama — ☆ jicama [hē′kə mə ] n. [MexSp jícama < Nahuatl] the large, white, fleshy root of a Mexican vine, eaten raw or cooked …   English World dictionary

  • jícama — (Del nahua xicamatl). f. Cuba, Ecuad.), El Salv.), Hond. y Méx. Tubérculo comestible o medicinal, sobre todo el de forma parecida a la cebolla aunque más grande, duro, quebradizo, blanco y jugoso, que se come aderezado con sal y limón …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • Jícama — Taxobox name = Pachyrhizus erosus image width = 200px regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo = Fabales familia = Fabaceae subfamilia = Faboideae genus = Pachyrhizus species = P. erosus binomial = Pachyrhizus erosus… …   Wikipedia

  • jícama — s f 1 Tubérculo comestible semejante por su forma a una cebolla, aunque de mayor diámetro pues alcanza hasta 20 cm. Es muy jugoso, duro y quebradizo, blanco por dentro y envuelto por una película fibrosa de color café blanquecino. Se come crudo,… …   Español en México

  • Jicama — Pois patate Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Nom vernaculaire ou nom normalisé ambigu : Le terme « Pois patate » s applique, en français, à plusieurs taxons distincts …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jicama — Yambohne Yambohne (Pachyrhizus erosus), Illustration. Systematik Unterklasse: Rosenähnliche (Rosidae) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • jícama — ► sustantivo femenino México BOTÁNICA Denominación de varios tubérculos comestibles o medicinales, sobre todo de uno parecido a la cebolla, aunque más grande, duro, quebradizo, blanco y jugoso, que se come aderezado con sal y limón. * * * jícama… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • jicama — noun Etymology: Mexican Spanish jícama, from Nahuatl xīcamatl Date: circa 1909 an edible starchy tuberous root of a tropical American vine (Pachyrhizus erosus) of the legume family that is eaten raw or cooked …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • jicama — [ hi:kəma] noun the crisp white fleshed edible tuber of the yam bean, used in Mexican cookery. Origin C17: from Mex. Sp. jícama …   English new terms dictionary

  • jicama — ji•ca•ma [[t]ˈhi kə mə, ˈhɪk ə [/t]] n. pl. mas 1) pln coo the large tuberous root of a tropical American twining plant, Exogonium bracteotum, of the legume family, eaten raw or cooked 2) pln the plant itself • Etymology: 1900–05; < MexSp… …   From formal English to slang

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