Mashua
| Mashua | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Yellow mashua with yellow oca | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Tropaeolaceae |
| Genus: | Tropaeolum |
| Species: | T. tuberosum |
| Binomial name | |
| Tropaeolum tuberosum Ruíz and Pavón |
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The mashua (see below for other names) is a perennial plant grown in the Andes for its edible tuber, which is eaten as a root vegetable. It is a major food source there. The tuber is rather peppery in flavor[1] when raw, but this quality disappears when cooked. It is related to garden nasturtiums, being of the Tropaeolum genus, not to be confused with the genus Nasturtium.
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[edit] Alternative names
This plant is commonly called mashua in Peru and Ecuador,[2] but other names include:
- Mashwa
- Maswallo
- Mazuko
- Mascho (Peru)
- Añu (in Peru and Bolivia)
- Isaño
- Cubio (in Colombia)
- Tuberous Nasturtium
[edit] Growing mashua
The plant grows vigorously even in marginal soils and in the presence of weeds. It is also well-adapted to high-altitude subsistence agriculture, and gives high yields; 30 tonnes per hectare are yielded at a height of 3000 metres, but up to 70 tons per hectare have been produced under research conditions.[3]
Its extraordinary resistance to insect, nematode, and bacterial pests is attributed to high levels of isothiocyanates. In Colombia, it is planted as a companion crop to repel pests in potato fields.
[edit] Mashua as a food
The tubers comprise as much as 75 percent of the mature plants by dry weight (40 percent is typical for cereals)[citation needed]. Up to 75 percent of dry matter reaches the tubercle.[2]
Popularization of mashua may be limited by its strong flavor, and its reputation as an anaphrodisiac (see below).
[edit] Medicinal properties
It has been recorded by the Spanish chronicler Cobo that mashua was fed to their armies by the Inca Emperors, "that they should forget their wives".[3][4] Indeed, studies of male rats fed on mashua tubers have shown a 45% drop in testosterone levels.[3]
Mashua has also been used to treat nephropathy, and as a diuretic.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] Literature
[edit] References
- ^ 10 perennial veggies to grow, San Francisco Gate
- ^ a b Peace Diaries Workspace
- ^ a b c Mashua Ethnobotanical Leaflet, Southern Illinois University
- ^ Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation, National Academies Press
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