The number 1 mystery surrounding Yacon

Shrouded in the mists of time… it descended from the far reaches of the Andes mountains. Once it held sway among the Inca; now it had spread across South America, parts of Asia, and nearly undetected, was slowly establishing roots in North America. In the U.S., its name was a well-kept secret among only the cognoscenti. Scientists called it smallanthus sonchifolius. But among the few who had encountered it, this enigmatic visitor from the south was known as:

Yacon!

What is Yacon?

Yacon is a Peruvian root vegetable that is a popular substitute for potatoes in South America. The root (actually a tuber) looks something like a very large sweet potato. Often eaten raw, it has a crunchy texture somewhat like that of an apple, and a mildly sweet flavor that some have described as a cross between celery and pineapple. It is well known in South America and in parts of Asia, and is just now becoming known in the United States.

Is Yacon good for you?

Is it ever!

Due to its amazing nutritional richness, Yacon is becoming known as the next new superfood. Like most superfoods, it is packed with minerals, antioxidants, and phenolic compounds (link). It is also rich in inulin, which is a prebiotic compound. “Prebiotic” means that it creates a favorable environment in your gut for “good bacteria.” You may have heard about recent research into the importance of gut bacteria in nutrition.

But we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. Most root vegetables store carbohydrates as starch. But 80% of Yacon’s carbohydrates are saccharides, primarily fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin. These compounds are known as prebiotics – substances that promote the flourishing of “good bacteria” in the digestive system. Further, FOS and inulin provide sweetness without being metabolized. Because of this, Yacon’s sweetness comes with an astonishingly low glycemic index.

There are lots of great ways Yacon can be beneficial, but of course we cannot endorse any unsubstantiated health claims. And it is always a good idea to check with your doctor before adding something as powerful as Yacon to your diet.

How is Yacon consumed?

In South America, it is often used in some of the same ways we use potatoes. In the U.S., it is becoming known primarily in syrup form, though we at Seven Oaks Market offer other forms as well, listed below.

Yacon syrup

The juice of the tuber can be boiled down into a delicious syrup. It takes a lot of Yacon juice to make a little bit of syrup, but it’s worth the effort. Our Yacon syrup tastes a lot like molasses, and can be used in pretty much the same ways you’d use molasses. I like to add it to my oatmeal, or use it to sweeten coffee or tea. You can also bake with it. Here are some recipe s you might like. The best part is that , while Yacon syrup’s glycemic index is 1.

Yacon chips

We make Yacon chips by slicing the tuber and freeze drying the disks. The result is a partly crunchy, partly leathery snack food that has a lovely light sweetness. Freeze drying concentrates the sweetness, and is better than dehydrating because it doesn’t use heat that could destroy many of the nutrients. If you want to use fresh yacon like a potato in your cooking, you can rehydrate our chips by soaking them in water or steaming them. Here are a few ideas for how rehydrated Yacon chips could be used.

Yacon powder

We take some of the yacon tuber that we freeze dry, and grind it into a powder. This powder is convenient for adding a nutrition boost to things like smoothies, oatmeal, breads and other baked goods, soups, stews… the list is endless. The powder is a concentrated form of the tuber, so a little bit goes a long way.

Yacon leaf tea

The leaves of the Yacon plant are not sweet like the root, but otherwise they have a similar nutritional profile. That makes the dried leaves good for use as an herbal tea. You simply steep the dried leaves in the same way you’d use any loose tea, for a nutritional boost in a cozy warm beverage. It’s caffeine free, so you can enjoy it any time of day. Our yacon leaf tea is made from leaves that are not just dried but freeze dried. That means that we don’t use any heat that could otherwise destroy nutrients in the leaves.

So what's the mystery?

Now you know more about Yacon than perhaps you knew yesterday. So that much is no longer a mystery. But the number 1 mystery regarding Yacon remains. And that mystery is:

Why is Yacon a mystery in the first place?

With all of the great things going for it, you’d think Yacon would be available in every grocery store by now. So why isn’t it? I’m afraid I can’t explain it, so it will have to remain a mystery for now.

We think Yacon should be much more widely understood and much more widely available. And that’s why we grow Yacon and produce and offer these Yacon products here. Help us make Yacon better known. Check out our full list of Yacon products and let your friends know, too!