jicama

[hee-kuh-muh, hik-uh-]

noun

1. the large, edible, tuberous root of a tropical American plant, Pachyrhizus erosus, of the legume family, eaten as a vegetable either raw or boiled.

jicama

/ dʒɪˈkɑːmə, xɪkama /

noun

1. a pale brown turnip with crisp sweet flesh, originating in Mexico

Word History and Origins

Origin of jicama¹

1900–05; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl xīcama, xīcamatl

Word History and Origins

Origin of jicama¹

C17: from Mexican Spanish jícama , from Nahuatl xicama

Example Sentences

Take the Mexicali Salad: fire-roasted corn kernels that pop with a whisper of smoke, buttery avocado slices, crisp and nearly translucent ribbons of jicama, sharp onion, tender white beans and mixed greens tangled with salty crumbles of cotija cheese and toasted pepitas.

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“Been wearing my roots and flying this flag,” she sang in “Jícama,” which former President Barack Obama listed among his favorite songs of 2019.

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But on one spring evening, Fadul and her team served thin slices of the raw fruit, which tastes like a cross between jicama and cucumber.

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Instead, there is a mixture of green leaf lettuce, carrots, red cabbage, jicama, and slices of tofu pan-fried with lemongrass and vegetarian oyster sauce.

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Jicama provides a juicy crunch like cucumber, but with a more consistently satisfying bite.

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