Potatoes are not the only tubers fit for your dinner plate-try oca!
Cultivated over centuries and a staple in the Andean region, oca is a colorful, delicious alternative to potatoes and yams. There are more than one hundred varieties of this smallish, knobby tuber, sometimes referred to as the “lost crop of the Incas.” While it is not known specifically how long oca has been cultivated, it is likely one of the oldest Andean crops. It can be grown at elevations up to 13,000 feet, much higher than potatoes, thus an important crop of high Andean peoples. Introduced to Europe and New Zealand in the 1800’s, the vegetable was adopted as a favorite and is still popular today, called “New Zealand Yams,” despite not being related to yams at all.
While still uncommon in North America, the root vegetable is gaining appeal, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Although oca was cultivated in tropical high mountain ranges of South America, as it turns out, the cool, mild climate and late frost make it relatively easy to grow in Oregon. In fact, oca is a close cousin to our native oxalis, or wood sorrel, which blankets the ground of forests in our region.
Cascade Organic started growing oca many years ago at our experimental urban farm, trying out varieties best suited for our region. We now contract with our organic partner, Farmer Brown, at Mustard Seed Farm in St. Paul to grow our oca.
Starchier than a carrot, but crisper than a potato, oca can be eaten either raw or cooked. When eaten fresh the flavor is tangy and lemony. Cooked oca has a sweet, nutty taste while still maintaining some of its tang. It might just remind you of vinegar on a french fry or sour cream on a baked potato. Boiled, roasted, fried, added to soups and stews, basically any way that you would cook a potato would be a good way to cook oca. Oca is an ideal winter vegetable that is best harvested after the frost, usually in late December, and stores well to be enjoyed throughout the coldest months.
Nutritionally, oca is a good replacement for potatoes, being both lower in calories and richer in nutrients. It contains oxalic acid which helps in binding calcium and improving bone health. Oca is also rich in vitamin C, iron and potassium.
If you are ready to move past the potato and try this root crop from the Andes, give these yummy oca recipes a try.
Orange and Honey Glazed Oca
Ingredients:
1 lb oca
2 Tbsp oil
Zest and juice of one orange
1 Tbsp honey
Salt to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Spead the oca into a single layer in a baking dish.
Drizzle the oil along with the orange zest.
Sprinkle over a generous pinch of salt. Toss together. Pour over the orange juice.
Roast for 30-40 minutes until tender all the way through.
Drizzle honey over the oca and roast for a couple of minutes.
Warm Oca Salad
Ingredients:
1 lb oca
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup anchovy fillets, drained if in oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
A small bunch of flat leaved parsley, leaves picked and stalks reserved
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Cut the oca so that they are in approximately equal sized pieces.
Chop the parsley stems finely and put to one side.
Chop the parsley leaves finely and keep separate from the stems.
Boil or steam the oca for about 10 minutes until there’s just give in the middle when you test them with a sharp knife.
Strain the oca and leave to drain and air dry in a colander while you prepare the dressing.
Add the olive oil to a pan and heat over a low-medium heat.
Add the anchovies, garlic and parsley stems and cook gently stirring frequently until the anchovies have melted but not browned.
Take the pan off the heat and add the oca and chopped parsley leaves to the pan.
Stir the oca gently in the flavored oil to coat thoroughly.