Mashua
Weight
July - Dec.
Season
Harvested
by hand
Season
- Peak season
- Available
- Not available
Did you know?
Mashua is a traditional vegetable native to South America. They arrived in Europe in the 19th century to be cultivated and eaten like potatoes. It is a vegetable plant similar to turnip-rooted chervil. Both the tubers and young flowers can be cooked.
Formerly, mashua was used for medicinal purposes, it was particularly known to be an anaphrodisiac.
They can be eaten raw. Raw, they are tangy with a taste a bit like horseradish, though more refined and with an intense aroma.
Boiled or steamed, mashua loses the spiciness and its aromas develop. We first smell asparagus, then floral notes (peppery violet, say some gourmets) and then a rather marked sensation of cocoa or tonka bean.
In short, mashua is far from ordinary!
Mashua is part of Prince de Bretagne’s Traditional vegetable range.
Cooking tips
HOW TO CHOOSE MASHUA
Select fleshy, conical and lumpy roots. Mashua are cream in colour.
HOW TO PREPARE MASHUA
Start by brushing mashua lightly to remove excess soil. It is then important to rinse the roots well and cut off the ends. It does not need peeling.
HOW TO COOK MASHUA
5 to 8 mins
Steam cooking
45 mins
In the oven
5 to 8 mins
In boiling water
They can be eaten raw: it is spicy, a bit like horseradish, but more refined and with an intense aroma.
Boiled or steamed, mashua loses its spiciness and its aromas develop. We first smell asparagus, then floral notes (peppery violet, say some gourmets) and then a rather marked sensation of cocoa or tonka bean.
HOW TO STORE MASHUA
Mashua should be stored in a dry place away from heat and light.
Cooking suggestions
Thanks to the taste characteristics of mashua, you can make a wonderful cocoa-flavoured sauce that pairs wonderfully with shellfish or fish.
For festive meals, mashua provide little nuggets of flavour. A few slices of this plump white tuber on a salad will give crunch and a peppery taste, very fragrant but without the spiciness
Chef’s tip
In general, mashua goes well with red meats, pork, chicken, other root vegetables, leeks, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, squash etc.
