Oca

Oxalis tuberosa

root

Small knobbly tubers the size of a pigeon's egg, yellow, pink, red or purple, of an oxalis from the Andean plateaus; tangy when fresh, sweeter once left in the sun.

Origin

Andes

Season (United States)

October to December

Preparation

It is eaten with its skin, just scrubbed.

Did you know?

In the Andes, a week of sun by day and frost by night drives out its acidity; in New Zealand, where it arrived in the 19th century, it is called yam.