cause gassy discomfort. Crosnes contain little
starch, and turn mushy when even slightly
overcooked.
Jicama Jicama is the swollen storage root of
Pachyrhizus erosus, a South American
member of the bean family. Its main virtue is
its sturdy crispness: it keeps well, is slow to
discolor, and retains some crunch when
cooked. Jicama is often eaten raw, in salads or
dipped into a sauce, and is sometimes used as
a fresh replacement for Chinese water
chestnuts, though it doesn’t have the same
sweet and nutty character.
Lotus Root Lotus root is the muddwelling
rhizome of Nelumbo nucifera, a water lily
native to Asia that has North American and
Egyptian relatives. The lily is an important
image in Buddhism and other systems of
thought — a stalk rising from the mire to bear
a beautiful flower over its floating leaves —
so lotus root can carry extraculinary