Ulluco

Ulluco
Ulluco
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

Ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus) is a plant grown primarily as a root vegetable, secondarily as a leaf vegetable.

The ulluco 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 melloco (Ecuador), olluco (Peru), chugua (Colombia) or ruba (Venezuela), among others.[1] 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.

Ulluco tubers are marketed as "Earth Gems" in New Zealand, by Halfords Exotic Produce.

Ulluco tubers in New Zealand

Contents

Usage

The major appeal of the ulluco is its crisp texture which, like the jicama, remains even when cooked. Because of its high water content, the ulloco 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 charqui", and a basic ingredient together with the cubio 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 olluco remains firm and almost crunchy.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation, National Academies Press

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ulluco — (del quechua «ullúcu»; Bol., Ec., Perú) m. *Melloco (planta baselácea). ≃ Olluco. * * * ulluco. (Del quechua ulluku). m. Bol., Ecuad. y Perú. melloco (ǁ planta). || …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Ulluco — Ul*lu co, n. (Bot.) See {Melluc?o}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ulluco — (Del quechua ulluku). 1. m. Bol.), Ecuad. y Perú. melloco (ǁ planta). 2. Ecuad. y Perú. melloco (ǁ tubérculo) …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • ulluco — ⇒ULLUQUE, ULLUCO, subst. masc. BOT. Plante dicotylédone de la famille des Chénopodiacées, cultivée en Bolivie et au Pérou pour ses petits tubercules comestibles. (Dict. XIXe et XXe s.). Prononc. et Orth.:[ylyk], [ylyko]. Ds FÉN. 1970: olluco.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Ulluco — Olluco Ullucus tuberosus Systematik Klasse: Dreifurchenpollen Zweikeimblättrige (Rosopsida) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ulluco — Ullucus tuberosus Ullu …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ulluco — gumbinis uliukas statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Bazelinių šeimos daržovinis augalas (Ullucus tuberosus), paplitęs Pietų Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Ullucus tuberosus angl. ulluco isp. melloco; olluco; papa lisa; uljuku šaltinis… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • ulluco — ul·lu·co (o͞o yo͞oʹkō) n. pl. ul·lu·cos 1. A twining perennial herb (Ullucus tuberosus) native to the Andes bearing fleshy tubers. 2. The edible fleshy tuber of this plant.   [American Spanish, from Quechua ullucu.] * * * …   Universalium

  • Ulluco — Ullucus (C) …   EthnoBotanical Dictionary

  • Ulluque — Ulluco Ullucus tuberosus …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”