Now this is something you don't see every day here in the US. Let me introduce you to dried Yacon slices. Yacon is native to the Andes in Peru and is a perennial plant known for its crisp, sweet tasting tubers (roots). Sounds like we're going water sliding.
The Yacon has been around for a long time, in fact, some say the plant goes back to 1200 BCE. In some parts, the Yacon is also referred to as the "Apple of the Earth", and has a taste that is a cross between an apple and a watermelon.
In its dried form, I'd say that the Yacon slices taste like a dried apple that has had most of its sugar pulled out. To the typical American palatte, that is so used to overly sugary tastes, the dried Yacon is going to taste on the bland side. Personally, I kind of liked the fact that there was only a tad of sweetness. Sometimes, I feel like biting into dried fruit in general is like biting into a piece of sugar with some fruit flavoring.
The dried Yacon is a great snack for those wanting to cut back on sugar or are diabetic because the Yacon is known for its low calorie and low sugar count due to the fact that the sugar in the Yacon contains high levels of oligofructose (inulin), a form of sugar that is not metabolized readily by the human body. Oligofructose is known to aid digestion and promote beneficial bacteria in the colon. Yacon also is high in fiber, which is also a digestion bonus.
Yacon has zero fat, and about a handful of the dried fruit will only set you back 90 calories. I tried eating half of that serving, and couldn't. I was satisfied with a small amount along with the pecans like in the picture above. I think the dried Yacon is a cool thing to add to trail mix. I'm always looking for new ideas, and the Yacon sure fits the bill. I got these dried Organic and Raw Yacon slices from Navitas Naturals which also carries a Yacon powder and syrup.
Try out the dried Yacon and let me know what you think.
