![Trying New Things](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/1944/files/2024/06/202552656.jpg)
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I like trying new foods. There was a time when I would wander through the produce section looking for different fruits and vegetables. Although I will admit, I often would have no idea what I was looking at.
Years ago, that meant trying to find information in books about what it was and how to prepare it. But since that part would come after my wandering through the produce department, I would sometimes end up a bit confused about what I was supposed to do with some of the items I purchased. Which means I mostly stuck to fruit, mostly because it usually doesn’t need a lot of preparation or detailed instructions on how to eat it.
I’ve worked my way through quite a few things. Some I really enjoyed. Some I don’t really want to try again. But there are still others I want to try.
Last weekend, my daughter arrived with a brown lumpy looking thing. Not overly appetizing looking. I was told it was a jicama, which, since it is Spanish, is pronounced hick-a-ma. It could also be known as a Mexican potato or Mexican turnip or Chinese yam or a few other names. That immediately made me a bit suspicious. Why did this rather plain looking vegetable need so many names? Was it trying to hide something? Perhaps the fact that except for the brown, lumpy tuber parts, the rest of the plant is… well… toxic?
Anyway, because we now have this thing called the internet, we immediately took to the Google machine to find out what to do with this little brown lump. You can cook it in a few various ways, but it seems that it can also be eaten raw. Just peel it, chop it into little sticks and munch away. Although it seems one popular way is to give it a little squirt of lime or lemon juice and a bit of salt and cayenne pepper.
I liked the raw idea, so we chopped it up and started munching. I didn’t have and limes or lemons handy, and I’m cutting back on salt, and some family members aren’t into hot and spicy, so we just went plain.
It was hard to explain. The texture is a bit like an apple. Or maybe a pear. One of those Asian pears that come with the little styrofoam mesh outfits on to keep them from getting bruised. The flavour? There really isn’t much. I saw one place describe it as milky. It’s a touch sweet, but just a touch. And crunchy and juicy. Kind of refreshing, really. There are a number of different types of salads and slaws where this thing would fit right in and be a welcome addition. I would definitely try it again. Maybe even cooked. But I do like it raw, and the lime and cayenne sound like it might be fun. But it’s certainly now on my radar.
So I can cross that one off my list, and move onto other interesting fruits and vegetables. Maybe fennel, since I still haven’t quite figured out what to do with that and can’t quite get my head around licorice as a vegetable. Or maybe sunchokes.
If one ugly vegetable is tasty, there must be others.