Tonight Dylan and I went to friends in South Slope for dinner and as I foraged for deserts at the supermarket, I came across a jicama – an ugly, stout root veg with a bizarre stringy part protruding from its top. I’d never had one before.

When I took it along to dinner, I learned that not only is the ‘j’ silent (woops), but that it’s somewhat of a salad staple in the U.S.

After cutting off its weird stringy thing and peeling it like a thick-skinned potato, I also found out that it is delicious. It’s sweet and crunchy, and a bit like a pear.  And it made a great addition to our greens.