A Central American climbing plant of the pea family, which has been cultivated for its edible tubers (jicama) since pre-Columbian times.
Pachyrhizus erosus, family Leguminosae
‘It looks like the bastard child of a potato and a coconut, and it's also called a yam bean or a Mexican turnip.’
‘Like the potato, the yam bean is a tuber - a fleshy subterranean stem.’
‘Supercrop: the yam bean, a tuber undaunted by drought, poor soil, or insects, produces astonishing yields.’
‘Its sustainability is unmatched by any cereal, even maize, and for exactly that reason a number of traditional farming systems cultivate maize and yam bean together.’
‘The third cultivated species, the Andean yam bean (P. ahipa, locally known as ahipa or ajipa), rarely occurs today outside Bolivia.’
‘Besides being consumed as food, the yam bean has been used in numerous other ways in traditional societies: It serves as an aid to lactation in nursing mothers, as a digestive, and as an antipyretic.’
‘Moreover, once harvested, all yam bean tubers can be kept in a natural state for several months without significant deterioration, whereas manioc roots must be covered with paraffin to discourage desiccation and the growth of fungi.’
Are You Learning English? Here Are Our Top English Tips