Jicama tortillas

I’m not sure where I first heard of jicama tortillas – from a paleo friend or an internet advertisement, perhaps.  I was intrigued.  How would you fold them?  It seems like they would crack like rice tortillas which have been a complete disappointment.  How would you make them?  Jicama is hard enough to peel.  How in the world would you slice it in round circles?

Then one day I spied them in the produce department – package of jicama tortillas for about $5.00.  Ingredients – 100% jicama.  I didn’t buy them that first day, but last weekend we were having guests, one of whom is gluten free.  So when I shopped before their visit, I bought a package of jicama tortillas.

I thought I had better try them before I served them to guests.  The package didn’t give any instructions.  My Darling Daughter eats jicama raw on her salads, so I tried them raw.  They are very thinly sliced, but remarkably durable. I put ghee on one, folded it in half and took a bite.  It did not crack; in fact it really did fold a lot like a flour tortilla.  I ate it slowly, trying to figure out why I wasn’t enthusiastic.  I think it must be that Jicama tastes sweet to me, and tortillas do not.  I did not serve them to my guests.

Monday morning I got out the package to decide what to do with the rest of the tortillas.  I noticed that the expiration date was Sunday.  They did not smell like they had spoiled, but I decided I needed to do something quickly.  I sprayed them with olive oil and roasted them in the oven until they were just a tiny bit brown around the edges.

They were still durable, they still folded without cracking, and they tasted a lot better cooked than raw.  They did shrink as they cooked – so they were smaller than a regular tortilla.

They were pretty good with eggs that morning for breakfast.  I think I would like them even better stuffed with something spicy like taco meat.  But they are not identical to a tortilla.

If I had guests over for dinner and they were expecting regular TexMex food, they probably would not like jicama tortillas.
When I fix TexMex food for myself, I would prefer a taco salad to jicama tacos.
I’m trying to imagine them in King Ranch Casserole, and I don’t think I would like it.

My conclusions:  They are interesting.  They are neutral, but not beneficial.  They have their own unique flavor that is quite edible.  But they would never be mistaken for a tortilla.