[drubio]

This looks like a giant variety of 'Pachyrhizus erosus' or Jicama, which is also a street snack widely sold in Mexico. I'v never seen ones as large as the one in the article, but the watery texture and how it's condimented (lemon, sugar, salt, chili powder) is exactly like Jicama. Seems wikipedia has a reference to ones as large as 2 meters and 20 kg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachyrhizus_erosus so it may be like those tree trunk sizes in the article.

It's not Agave. Agave roots are very fibery and dry, there's almost no moisture in them and you wouldn't be able to cut such thin slices like the article points out, agave roots are mashed up to start the Tequila process, here are some pics http://www.todomezcal.com/Elaboracion/molienda.html

Source: I've cut open both Agave and Jicama plants, I grew up in Mexico. You can find Jicama/(fruit) street vendors in most Mexican cities main streets or outside Mexico a mexican market is also a safe bet. They have rough peel, like a potato but rougher, and they're about 90% water.

[NelsonMinar]

"This looks like a giant variety of Jicama"... A giant variety that has heretofor been unknown to the world? Hacker News, we cracked the case!

Edit I feel like I should explain the snark. The comment I'm replying to is coming from a classic flaw in human reasoning. "This looks kinda like this other thing I'm familiar with. So clearly it must be some variety of that!" Then it's couched in some authoritative sounding words so folks nod sagely and say "yes, that must be it" and press the upvote button. The fact that the commenter is hypothesizing a heretofor-unknown giant variety of a major world food crop is, well, sometimes sarcasm is the appropriate response.

Meanwhile, the actual article tells us a lot more about the thing including a bunch of evidence for why folks think it's a variety of agave. Along with some mysteries, yes! But none saying "oh maybe this is actually jicama".

Also if you're going to go with "this reminds me of this other vegetable" it might be useful to have a bit more breadth of understanding of the world's food staples. There are more than quite a few stachy tubers, roots, and stems like this. Cassava, taro, about six different things all called "yam" in English, potato, turnip, radish. There are many, many cultivated plants like this. The distinguishing characteristic of this one is its huge size. Something that jicama doesn't have.

[esquivalience]

Respectfully, you inferred the conclusion "So clearly it must be some variety of that!". GF doesn't say that, they merely say it may be like that and that the explanation given in the article doesn't agree with their experience.

[mekoka]

Respectfully, GF quite explicitly also dismissed the claim that it is agave.

Meanwhile the article states that there is established scientific evidence that it is (probably the Sesalana species), in the form of an 89% DNA match, but more likely the trunk part of the plant rather than the root (as initially claimed by vendors).

[Clewza313]

This seems unlikely, since jicama is widely eaten in India as well, and much smaller than what the images depict. (I don't doubt it can grow that large, just that I've never seen it that big.) The texture also looks off for jicama, which is more watery and can't be sliced that thin.

Wikipedia: "In Bengali, it is known as shankhalu (শাঁখ আলু), literally translating to "conch (shankha, শাঁখ) potato (alu, আলু)" for its shape, size, and colour. In Hindi, it is known as mishrikand (मिश्रीकंद). It is eaten during fast (उपवास) in Bihar (India) and is known as kesaur (केसौर). In Odia, it is known as (ଶଙ୍ଖ ସାରୁ) shankha saru."

[dunham]

> can't be sliced that thin.

Loló in San Francisco slices jicama that thin to use in place of a tortilla in tacos:

http://cyneats.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screenshot-201...

[ramphastidae]

Jicama can absolutely be sliced that thin. It’s very similar to a turnip or potato.

[simonh]

According to the article it’s not actually the root, that’s just a story the vendors tell, it’s the stem.

[Galaxity]

I think it could be the trunk of the agave. I just looked at pictures of agaves and some have short palm like trunks that the leaves come off of at the top instead of being right on the ground like you usually see with the aloe and agave type succulents.

The trunk looks about the same size as the photos of the food object.

The agave sisalana wiki article shows it: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisal

[sltkr]

Yes, all of that was in the article that you apparently didn't read:

> In 2010, after a long anatomical study, they performed DNA barcoding on a slice of the snack and found it to match that of agave’s by 89 percent. There are several species of agave, but the lab test narrowed it down to Agave Sisalana, a plant sometimes used to make a tequila-like drink. They did a field visit soon after and plucked out a Sisalana only to find mesh-like, shallow roots. Next, they chopped off its leaves and there it was: the fat, white, watery trunk familiar to millions of Indians from food carts. They ate a slice from it, and it was tasteless and crunchy just like Ram Kand.

[PhasmaFelis]

Well, that's the theory. They're still not certain it's actually agave.

[mekoka]

In 2010, after a long anatomical study, they performed DNA barcoding on a slice of the snack and found it to match that of agave’s by 89 percent [narrowed] down to Agave Sisalana. [...] Next, they chopped off its leaves and there it was: the fat, white, watery trunk familiar to millions of Indians from food carts. They ate a slice from it, and it was tasteless and crunchy just like Ram Kand. The findings were published inCurrent Science the following year.

When I look at the Jicama plant it doesn't even remotely look like an Agave. It certainly doesn't seem to me that DNA barcoding would yield an 89% match with Agave Sisalana.

[darkerside]

The source code for two applications might match 89% and yield completely different results

[mekoka]

I'm not sure that I get the point of your analogy.

To be clear, I'm saying that genetic match supersedes any list of superficial attributes to determine identity. If it's established that X and Y are an 89% DNA match, even though X tastes and looks like Z, the fact that Y and Z belong in distant genetic branches should be enough to dismiss X as a possible Z.

[fieldcny]

Humans and chimps share 98% of their DNA, We also share like 84% with pigs.

89% doesn’t really seem like a case closed kind of stat.

[mekoka]

You should look up DNA barcoding. We don't have an 84% barcode match with pigs.

[darkerside]

My point is that being an 89% match doesn't necessarily mean very much.

[bobsmooth]

If this is an agave, it would be different from the plants that you're familiar with since it grows in a different country, no?

Edit: Growing conditions can drastically impact the development of a plant, am I wrong?

[ekster]

It’s so cool how even when teams of scientists have failed there is a random commenter on HN with the answer.

[IshKebab]

With a guess.

[burlesona]

Pretty sure the parent poster forgot to tag their comment /s

[sithadmin]

It looks much more like a peeled and shaped west african giant yam than it does any kind of jicama.