Tropical Ingredients

Jicama (Yam Bean)

Pachyrhizus erosus

Round, with papery, golden-brown skin and a dense, white, juicy interior.

4 min read·Updated September 23, 2026
Growing regions: Latin America, South and Southeast Asia
Other names: Yam Bean (English), Mexican Turnip (English), Singkamas (Filipino/Tagalog), Shankhalu (Bengali), Kuzu-imo (Japanese), Bang kuang (a regional name reported in the literature)
Family Fabaceae Best for Salads, snacks, stir-fries, soups, juice

Description

Jicama is the crisp, watery root of a climbing vine in the Fabaceae (pea) family, native to the semiarid tropics of Mexico and Central America. The root is round, with papery, golden-brown skin and a dense, white, juicy interior.

The flavour is mild — "the slight sweetness of an apple with the crunchy texture of a water chestnut," as one dietitian describes it. Because it keeps its crunch even when cooked, it is prized as much for texture as for taste.

Only the underground root is eaten. The seeds, bean pods, vines, and leaves all contain rotenone, a natural insecticide that is toxic to humans. Never eat the beans or any aerial part of the plant.

Origin & History

Pachyrhizus erosus arose in the semiarid tropics of Central America and Mexico, then spread across the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, China, India, and beyond. It is a nitrogen-fixing legume that remains an under-utilized crop despite high nutrient content — it is cultivated for its crisp storage roots rather than its beans. It has also been introduced in parts of Africa as a food-security crop.

Uses

Culinary

  • Raw: peeled, sliced, and eaten like carrot sticks or apple slices
  • Street snack: in Mexico, cut jicama is dressed with lime juice, chilli powder, and salt
  • Salads: julienned into slaws and tropical salads
  • Stir-fry & soup: added for a crunch that holds up to heat
  • Juice: pressed fresh for a cool, slightly sweet drink

Medicinal

Jicama features in folk medicine and has been studied for antioxidant, immune, and antidiabetic activity, though most of these findings remain laboratory-scale rather than clinically established.

Nutritional Benefits

Raw jicama is roughly 90% water and low in calories — around 38 kcal per 100 g — with about 4.9 g of fiber per 100 g. A one-cup (130 g) serving provides roughly 6.4 g of dietary fiber and 26 mg of vitamin C. Key points include:

  • Fiber & inulin — near 5 g of fiber per 100 g, including inulin, a prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria
  • Vitamin C — about 20 mg per 100 g, an antioxidant that supports immune function
  • Potassium — around 150 mg per 100 g
  • Low sugar — roughly 1.8 g per 100 g, contributing to its mildly sweet taste

These figures follow USDA-sourced data; jicama is a healthy, low-calorie vegetable, not a medicine.

How to Prepare

  1. Choose firm, dry roots without shrivelled, bruised, or blemished skin
  2. Peel the papery skin cleanly with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife.
  3. Cut into sticks, cubes, or wedges for raw eating, or dice for salads.
  4. Serve fresh with lime and a pinch of salt, in a salad, or stirred into a dish.
Tips: Peeled jicama keeps, covered in water in the fridge, for up to three days. Trim away all skin and rootlets before eating. Pairs well with lime, coconut, mango, papaya, and mild chilli.

Recipes

As Jungle Kitchen develops recipes featuring jicama, those will be linked here.

Suggested uses: lime-and-chilli jicama sticks, jicama and papaya salad, crisp slaws, stir-fries.

Varieties

Jicama sold in shops is not always labelled by cultivar. Root size and shape vary, and this entry does not assign a named variety without a verified identification. Closely related edible roots in the same genus, such as the Andean ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa), are grown on a smaller scale and are not the common supermarket yam bean.

Fun Facts

  • A single jicama root can reach 20 kg (44 lb).
  • Its vines can climb two metres or more in a single season.
  • Jicama is a legume — it fixes nitrogen in the soil, like peas and beans.
  • The rotenone that makes its seeds toxic has a long history as a natural insecticide.
  • It's pronounced "HEE-kuh-muh" or "HICK-uh-muh".