I was eating at an Arab friend's today and she was boiling a few things she picked up from the local ethnic-food shop.. she didn't know what it was but was advised to boil it. So I picked it up and peeled it to unvail a veg that looked and tasted like a potato. Can anyone tell me what it was or send a link or two on what you might think it is. The exterior is very earthy but inside is quite soft like a potato when boiled.
2006-10-29 10:20:01 · 16 answers · asked by cooliocarlito 1 in Food & Drink ➔ Other - Food & Drink
Wasnt a yam or sweet potato.
When boiled, you can peel the exterior (quite brown and earthy) to reveal a sort of jacket-potato without the jacket.
It tasted mushier and creamier than a normal boiled potato.
2006-10-29 10:34:06 · update #1
Also, it was 'medium' sized... the same size of a normal potato really.
2006-10-29 10:35:58 · update #2
from your description it sounds like sweet potato. really nice aren't they !!
2006-10-29 10:30:15 · answer #1 · answered by The Dazzler 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like a yam. Did it discolour quickly? I can hardly peel the things fast enough to stop that happening! The other suspect would be sweet potato. Here is a link to tell you the difference. http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:IdGvNxJ29TIJ:www.whfoods.com/genpage.php%3Ftname%3Dfoodspice%26dbid%3D64+yams+nutrition&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2
What about cassava? The root is long and tapered, with a firm homogeneous flesh encased in a detachable rind, about 1 mm thick, rough and brown on the outside. Commercial varieties can be 5 to 10 cm in diameter at the top, and 50 to 80 cm long. A woody cordon runs along the root's axis. The flesh can be chalk-white or yellowish; it breaks like that of a carrot, and darkens quickly upon exposure to the air. For this reason, the skinned root must be kept under water until it is ready to be cooked. The root's flavor spoils in a day or so, even if kept unskinned and under refrigeration, which is a problem for supermarkets. A solution is usually to freeze it or seal it in wax.
2006-10-29 18:30:40 · answer #2 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What was the color of the insides? If it was orange, it very well could have been a yam or a sweet potato.
It also could have been a cassava if it was white on the inside. They are woody tubers that are boiled. Another possibility is a turnip, if the outside was white with a bit of red.
The more I stop to think about it, though, the more I'm betting that it was a cassava. They are definitely potato-like in taste and texture when boiled.
2006-10-29 18:26:59 · answer #3 · answered by Wolfeblayde 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Jacama is supposed to be like potato. It could be a potato such as a fingerling or a fin apple which are just a different shaped potatoes.
2006-10-30 22:55:41 · answer #4 · answered by nursienurse 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Celeriac looks like a potato and has the texture of a potato. But it tastes like celery.
2006-10-29 18:28:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it could have been yucca which is like a potato but I am not sure if Arabs eat that I know cubans do it is a little more like a white clear color then a potato and is really starchy
2006-10-29 18:28:28 · answer #6 · answered by J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jicama? It looks like potato, and tastes starchy like a potato when raw.
2006-10-29 18:53:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cassava
2006-10-29 20:09:41 · answer #8 · answered by Swirly 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry don't know thought it was a sweet potato
2006-11-02 13:35:35 · answer #9 · answered by patsy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe a Jerusalem artichoke?
2006-10-29 19:28:40 · answer #10 · answered by fuzzypurplebeatnik 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋