Mauka (chago)

Mirabilis expansa

root

The fleshy root of an Andean four-o'clock, left in the sun to sweeten, then cooked; its leaves are eaten too.

Origin

Andes (Bolivia, Peru)

Where to find it

It is rarely found at market: it is now grown only in a few gardens in the Andean valleys.

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

Only Andean mauka: the garden four-o'clock, its cousin, is toxic.

Molecules

In small amounts, not counted Insoluble fibers

Did you know?

It was thought extinct until the 1960s, when it was rediscovered in a few Bolivian villages.