Tuberous Acid

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Tuberous oxalis (Latin Oxalis tuberosa) - a herbaceous tuberous perennial plant of the genus Kislitsa (Latin Oxalis), belonging to the family of the same name Kislichnye (Latin Oxalidaceae). The high nutritional value of Kislitsa tubers, combined with the plant's unpretentiousness to living conditions, makes the cultivation of Kislitsa tuberous in the difficult climatic conditions of the Andes, from Venezuela to Argentina, very popular. In terms of cultivation volumes, Kislitsa is second only to potatoes.

What's in your name

There are no difficulties in relation to the Latin name of this plant, since the Russian name is a literal translation of its Latin counterpart. That is, both the generic name and the specific epithet in Latin, "Oxalis tuberosa", mean exactly "Tuberous acid".

Much more confusion arises with the local names of the plant, since the people of each country where edible roots are grown give the plant its own name. So, for example, in Bolivia it is "Apilla" or "Apina". The latter is also typical for Peru. In Brazil, its name echoes the name "Batata" (Sweet Potato) and sounds like "Batata-baroa" or "mandioquinha". In Colombia, there are three names: "Hibia", "Huasisai", "IBI". In Venezuela, there are as many as four … In New Zealand and Polynesia, where Tuberous acid has taken root well, it is called "Yam" (Yam).

Description

The external appearance of the aerial parts of Kislitsa tuberous does not differ from most of its relatives. This is a dwarf plant with petiolate complex leaves, consisting of three heart-shaped light green leaves with a small notch along the upper edge. They also like to droop during unfavorable climatic moments, folding their halves on either side of the central vein tightly to each other.

On strong peduncles, racemose inflorescences of small yellow flowers are located.

But, unlike many other species of the genus Oxalis, the tuberous species has a stem. Moreover, the stem is on the surface of the earth, which helps to create such compact bushes growing in New Zealand, as in the following photo:

In addition, there are underground stems or shoots (stolons), from which nutritious starchy tubers are formed, competing with potatoes and differing from it in a slightly pungent aroma. The color of the tubers covered with fleshy scales depends on the variety and can be yellow, purple-purple, reddish, or bright red.

Rich content of tubers

In addition to the fact that Kislitsa tubers are a rich source of carbohydrates, some varieties are high in protein, and they also contain beta-carotene (provitamin A), potassium, calcium and iron. And all this wealth demonstrates the exquisite taste and versatility of the tubers.

Tubers can be eaten raw, or they can be prepared in a variety of ways, similar to the way everyone's favorite potatoes are cooked.

Leaves, along with young shoots, are also suitable for food as green vegetables.

Tubers are sour and sweet

Some varieties of Kislitsa tuberous contain a lot of oxalic acid, which is harmful to the human body. These are varieties with sour tubers. To remove excess oxalic acid, the tubers are subjected to special treatment. They are soaked in water for about a month, and then laid out under the daytime sun and cold nights so that the tubers get rid of moisture and acid completely.

Sweet varieties containing oxalic acid in smaller quantities are not soaked, but given over to the sun's rays, which are also able to displace acid from the tubers, making them even sweeter. Such potatoes are suitable not only for side dishes and soups, but also for making sweet desserts.