It certainly looks like a jicama.

Rusty

Looks like it.

Looks like it. Is the peel really tough? I love jicama, but hate to cut it up for that reason.

Yes, that is jicama. But it is related to beans, not potatoes!

Thanks, everyone! Gardengal, the information I found online is unclear. Although I didn't see anything that relates jicama to beans, some sources say it's a nightshade, while others say it isn't. None of the sources I've found so far are familiar to me. But my nightshade allergy is a serious one, so if there's any doubt whatsoever I won't go near it. I'll pass it on to another family member.

From Total Health magazine (I don't know of it):

Now To The BIG Question: Is Jicama A Nightshade Vegetable?Jicama spuds are part of the nightshade family, a group of vegetables that contain alkaloids, which have an impact on nerve-muscle function, joint function and digestive function—accelerating an existing inflammatory condition.

Sjerin, yes--I used a big chef's knife to cut it, with some effort!

Alisande, your comment about not eating anything related to potatoes sent me on a Google search. What I found was quite interesting. The flesh of the tuber is the only part of the plant that is edible, leaves, beans, stems, even the peel of the tuber, are poisonous. It is a legume, related to beans, but it is also a member of the Nightshade family, as are potatoes.

Hope that helps in your decision about what to do with it.

Rusty

That info is incorrect :-) Jicama, botanically Pachyrhizus erosus, is a member of the Fabaceae or legume/bean family. No relationship whatsoever to the nightshades or Solanceae!!

ETA: Rusty, if it is a legume or bean (which it is), it cannot be a member of the nightshade family. The two are very separate and distinct.

Here's a site that lists some vegetables commonly mistaken a nightshades, and jicama is on that list (look under potatoes).

Oh, no . . . not another issue to divide us! Soon it will be all over social media, with two camps forming. LOL

I suppose I could sniff the cut side and see if I get an asthma attack, but I think I'll just eat something else. Considering how many things I react to, it's possible jicama is risky for me even if it's not a nightshade. Sad to think what an adventurous eater I used to be . . .

But thanks, all!

One hundred percent in the Fabaceae family. It is not related to the nightshades at all. I really like its crunchiness in a salad, wrap, spring roll, or just out of hand.

I'm so sorry that you have such a difficult time with food allergies, Alisande. What a challenge it must be.

We love jicama in salad, it has such a nice crunch and fresh taste. Or, cut into stalks and then on its own on a raw veggie plate with other crunchy things.

We remove the outside skin using a potato peeler, it makes the preparation easy.

Thanks, Rhizo--a challenge indeed, although I'm used to it now. What I miss most of all is tomatoes. I loved growing all sorts of tomato varieties, and of course eating them. A friend went into business this year growing 320 varieties! I'm glad they don't live close by and I'm not tempted to go look at all of them in their beauty.