Kingdom Plantae Family Basellaceae Scientific name Ullucus tuberosus Rank Species | Order Caryophyllales Genus Ullucus
Caldas Higher classification Ullucus | |
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Similar Chuño, Ch'arki, Arracacia xanthorrhiza, Southern Cone Marigold, Cyclanthera pedata | ||
Ullucus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Basellaceae, with one species, Ullucus tuberosus (Quechua ulluku [u:ʎu:ku], hispanicized spellings olluco, ulluco, or milluku, hispanicized melloco) a plant grown primarily as a root vegetable, secondarily as a leaf vegetable. Another common name in Spanish is papalisa.
Ulluco is one of the most widely grown and economically important root crops in the Andean region of South America, second only to the potato. It is known there with the common name of papalisa, but also by the regional names milluku and ulluku (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru), chugua and uyucos (Colombia) or ruba (Venezuela), among others. The tuber is the primary edible part, but the leaf is also used and is similar to spinach. They are known to contain high levels of protein, calcium, and carotene. Ulluco was used by the Incas prior to arrival of Europeans in South America.
Ullucus tuberosus has a subspecies, Ullucus tuberosus subsp. aborigineus, which is considered a wild type. While the domesticated varieties are generally erect and have a diploid genome, the subspecies is generally a trailing vine and has a triploid genome.
Usage
The major appeal of ulluco is its crisp texture which, like the jicama, remains even when cooked. Because of its high water content, ulluco is not suitable for frying or baking, but it can be cooked in many other ways like the potato. In the pickled form, it is added to hot sauces. It is the main ingredient in the classic Peruvian dish olluquito con ch'arki and a basic ingredient together with the mashua in the typical Colombian dish cocido boyacense. They are generally cut into thin strips.
Oblong and thin, they grow to a few inches long. Varying in color, papalisa tubers may be orange/yellow in color with red/pink/purple freckles. In Bolivia, they grow to be very colorful and decorative, though with their sweet and unique flavor they are rarely used for decoration. When boiled or broiled they remain moist; the texture and flavor are very similar to the meat of the boiled peanut without the skin. Unlike the peanut meat becoming soft and mushy, ulluco remain firm and almost crunchy.