Yacón

Smallanthus sonchifolius

root · prebiotic

Large, juicy, sweet tubers of an Andean plant of the sunflower family, eaten raw like a fruit, crisp like a pear; rich in FOS, fructans the gut does not digest.

Origin

Andes

Season (United States)

imported · all year round

Preparation

It is peeled: the skin is bitter and resinous; the flesh is eaten raw.

Molecules

Fructans (inulin, FOS)

Did you know?

In French it is called earth pear — a name also given elsewhere to the Jerusalem artichoke, and even to the potato.