Yakon drawing attention as a prebiotic food

DELICIOUS: Yakon fried in coconut oil adds an extra dimension to a meal. PICTURE / SUPPLIED

Some South American superstars have been taking over Rachel Rose's Whanganui East garden - and causing excitement in the kitchen.

Yakon (aka yacón) is an edible root vegetable native to the Andes. It's sometimes called a Peruvian ground apple. It has been getting some attention recently, because it's a prebiotic food. It's full of inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) which make it taste sweet but have no effect on blood sugar levels - perfect for diabetics. But FOS, an indigestible carbohydrate, is a tasty feed for beneficial gut bacteria.

"Yakon ticks all the boxes. It's very good for you. You can eat it in many different ways. It grows well in Whanganui's climate. And - very important - it's delicious," says Rachel.
She has been growing yakon for three years but says it's only this year that she figured out how to harvest the tubers well.
"The root tubers are quite brittle and they snap easily. I was trying to dig them out like potatoes and they would split or snap. Those would still be fine to eat, but no good for storing."

Rachel says the plant is becoming better known in permaculture circles, where growers are always keen on trying new perennial crops. "So people grow them, but then have been lukewarm about eating them. It's taken me a couple of years to learn how to make the most of them. Now yakon is one of my favourite vegetables."
She recommends sautéing thin slices in coconut oil until they are golden brown. Chunks tossed in olive oil and roasted are also delicious. "Yakon should always be peeled because the skin is quite bitter. Many people like eating it raw - grated into salads, as crudités with dip or eaten like an apple. It can also be boiled down to a syrup to be used as a non-sugar sweetener. I've used it to bulk up and sweeten bottled fruit, because I don't add any sugar.

"The taste is quite mild and it absorbs the flavour of whatever you cook it with - great for the spicy, creamy soups which we make often. The sweetness is pronounced but its most distinctive feature is the crisp texture. Yakon stays crisp even when cooked. So it's a lovely surprise among a plate full of roast vegetables."

Rachel expects to harvest as much as 80kg this year. While her family like it - even the dog's been eating it - it's more than they can get through. "I've been taking it to the River Traders Market, to Eileen Bennett's organic fruit and vege stall. It's a bit of a hard sell, because yakon doesn't look like anything special and people don't know what to do with it. But it's starting to catch on; people just need some information and to be up for trying something different."

PLENTY: Rachel Rose carefully excavating the roots of a yakon - it shows how prolific one plant is! PICTURE / SUPPLIED