Ulluco is a plant grown primarily as a root vegetable, secondarily as a leaf vegetable. ... It is known there with the common name of papa lisa, but also by the regional names melloco, olluco, chugua or ruba, among others. The leaf and the tuber are edible, similar to spinach and the potato, respectively.

Where is ulluco a staple food?

Ulluco is an economically important South American root crop that is indigenous to the Andean region in South America. It is widely cultivated and consumed in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and Chile.

What does ulluco taste like?

Related to the subtropical vegetable Malabar spinach, ulluco produces buttery, crisp tubers, described variously as tasting like nutty-sweet corn, earthy beets or boiled peanuts. Ulluco does not mash like potatoes, but instead remains crunchy when cooked due to its high water content.