Also called by the common name "jicama" the yam bean is a favorite food of Central America and Southeast Asia and is becoming popular in the U.S (Texas and environs) as a salad ingredient. The fleshy tuberlike root has a white succulent interior which is flavorful and crisp like an apple and could not be eaten raw. Jicama is imported into the US from Mexico and recently its wholesale price reached $2.50 a kilo (an amazing figure for a root crop- it is the top selling speciality vegetable in the U.S). A close relative of the jicama, called the ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa) has great potential for large scale commercial cultivation. This crop also shows considerable disease and pest resistance. It also enriches the soil in which it is planted (due to rhizobia bacteria in the root nodules).

Family: Leguminosae (Fabaceae)

Although on a dry weight basis the roots contain 3-5 times the protein of other root crops (such as cassava, potato, sweet potato and taro), the fresh roots have an unusually high moisture content. The starch of the tuber is easily digested (two times as easy as sweet potato starch) and may be a useful food source for babies and diabetic persons.

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Nutritional Content

100g of raw tuber contains-	approx. 47cal (low in calories)
				approx. 87% moisture
				1.1g protein
				0.1g fat
				11g carbohydrate
				0.6g fiber
				0.6g ash
				1.13mg iron
				0.43mg copper
				0.02mg riboflavin
				0.2mg niacin
				0.05mg thiamine
				16mg calcium
				14mg ascorbic acid

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The Mexican Yam Bean (Pachyrhizus erosus is receiving a lot of attention (with respect to selection and improvement) in Europe, Central America and in the West Indies, in order to become a crop of major economic importance.

Ref. - Junor A. Barnes and Aldrin V. Gomes (1998) The Yam Bean: a plant of promise. Biologist 45 (5) 221-224.

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