Arracacia xanthorrhiza is a root vegetable that originates in the Andes. Its starchy taproot is a major commercial crop and a popular food item across South America.
Common names
Being a South American plant, its most common names are in either Spanish or Portuguese, the two most spoken languages in that continent.
The name arracacha (or racacha) was borrowed into Spanish from Quechua raqacha, and is used in the Andean region. The plant is also called apio or apio criollo ("Creole celery") in Venezuela, apio in Puerto Rico, zanahoria blanca ("white carrot") in Ecuador, and virraca in Peru.
Its Portuguese names are usually derived from the plant's similarity to other well known vegetables and roots. It is known as either mandioquinha ("little cassava") or batata-baroa ("baroness potato") in most regions of Brazil, but other common names in certain regions of that country include batata-salsa (“parsley potato”), batata fiúza ("trustworthy potato"), cenourinha-branca ("little white carrot"), and cenourinha-amarela or simply cenoura-amarela ("little yellow carrot" or simply "yellow carrot"), among others.
It is sometimes called Peruvian parsnip,white carrot or yellow cassava in English, but these names may also refer to other vegetables.
Description and varieties
The leaves of arracacha are similar to parsley, and vary from dark green to purple. The roots resemble fat short carrots, with off-white skin. The interior may be white, yellow, or purple.
Cultivation
A freshly harvested arracacha root, still covered with dirt.
The plant is native to the region west of the Andes and grows at altitudes varying from 200 to 3,600 metres (650 to 11,800 ft) with an optimal altitude of between 1,800 and 2,500 m (5,900 and 8,200 ft). It is frequently grown with other crops such as maize, beans, and coffee. The plant is very susceptible to viruses and is slow to mature (10–12 months), but requires much less fertilizer input than the potato. Its harvest season in the Southern...
