Oca
Family Oxalidaceae
Oxalis tuberosa, oca (O. tuberosa 1), is a small branching herb with trifoliate leaves and yellow-orange flowers. It produces cylindrical edible tubers with a series of grooves, and a smooth skin bearing scales.
Distribution
The oca is a native of higher altitudes in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia and provides an important root crop in the Andes.
Use
When fresh the tubers are acid, but after drying in the sun they become floury and more palatable. The leaves and young shoots are eaten fresh in salads and cooked. Together with the ullucu (Ullucus tuberosus) (U. tuberosus 1), the potato and the ysaño (Tropaeolum tuberosum) (T. tuberosum 1), the oca is an important source of food for the Indians of the Andean highlands.