Ullucus

Ulluku
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Basellaceae
Genus: Ullucus
Species: U. tuberosus
Binomial name
Ullucus tuberosus
Caldas
Ulluku tubers in New Zealand

Ullucus tuberosus (Quechua ulluku[1] (u:ju:ku), hispanicized spellings olluco, ulluco, or milluku,[1] hispanicized melloco) is a plant grown primarily as a root vegetable, secondarily as a leaf vegetable. Another common name in Spanish is papalisa. Ullucus tuberosus is the sole species in the monotypic genus Ullucus.

The ulluku is one of the most widely grown and economically important root crops in the Andean region of South America, second only to the potato. It is known there with the common name of papa lisa, but also by the regional names milluku and ulluku (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru), chugua and uyucos (Colombia) or ruba (Venezuela), among others.[2] The leaf and the tuber are edible, similar to spinach and the potato, respectively. They are known to contain high levels of protein, calcium, and carotene. Papalisa were used by the Incas prior to arrival of Europeans in South America.

Usage

The major appeal of the ulluku is its crisp texture which, like the jicama, remains even when cooked. Because of its high water content, the ulluku is not suitable for frying or baking, but it can be cooked in many other ways like the potato. In the pickled form, it is added to hot sauces. It is the main ingredient in the classic Peruvian dish olluquito con ch'arki, and a basic ingredient together with the maswa in the typical Colombian dish cocido boyacense. They are generally cut into thin strips.

Oblong and thinly shaped, they grow to be only a few inches long. Varying in color, papalisa tubers may be orange/yellow in color with red/pink/purple freckles. In Bolivia, they grow to be very colorful and decorative, though with their sweet and unique flavor they are rarely used for decoration. When boiled or broiled they remain moist and the texture and flavor are very similar to the meat of the boiled peanut without the skin but unlike the boiled peanut becoming soft and mushy the ulluku remains firm and almost crunchy.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Teofilo Laime Ajacopa, Diccionario Bilingüe Iskay simipi yuyayk'ancha, La Paz, 2007 (Quechua-Spanish dictionary)
  2. ↑ Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation, National Academies Press

External links