Here's an interesting question to ponder this afternoon. Do you know what this vegetable is? The WOW Report found this in the produce department at Whole Foods. The produce manager either did not know or did not say what they were, and gave several away. You can see that they are relatively small, judging by the chilis nearby, and even though they look vaguely like sweet potatoes, they are not.
Read on for the answer - but no peeking until you've taken a guess!
The mystery vegetable is a "yacon" or "yacón" (I've seen it with and without the accent). It is a sweet root vegetable original from the Andes mountains. They are crisp, sweet and quite juicy. Apparently, Incan travelers would eat them to satisfy their thirst on long journeys. They can be eaten raw, steamed, baked or roasted and can even be juiced, but the skin is a bit bitter and should probably be scrubbed off.
Update - It seems like the mystery vegetable might instead be an Oca, which is a different type of root vegetable also found in the Andes mountains, althought it is also grown in other parts of the world. The two don't seem to be related, at least not closely. It is prepared in much the same way as yacons are.
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