Mashua facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mashua
Various mashua tubers of different shapes and colors
Scientific classification
Genus:	Tropaeolum
Species:	tuberosum
Synonyms
Chymocarpus tuberosus (Ruiz & Pav.) Heynh. Trophaeum tuberosum (Ruiz & Pav.) Kuntze

The Tropaeolum tuberosum, commonly known as mashua, is a fascinating species of flowering plant. It belongs to the Tropaeolaceae family, which also includes the familiar garden nasturtiums. Mashua is mainly grown in the Andes mountains, especially in countries like Peru and Bolivia. You can also find it in Ecuador and parts of Colombia.

People grow mashua for its tasty tubers, which are like small potatoes. These tubers are often cooked or roasted and eaten as a vegetable. Mashua is a herbaceous perennial climber that can grow quite tall, reaching between 2 to 4 meters (about 6 to 13 feet). It's sometimes grown just for its beautiful, brightly colored flowers. Its leaves are round with five lobes, and they have a stem that can weakly twine around things.

Discovering Mashua: An Andean Super Tuber

What is Mashua?

Mashua is a plant that has been a food source for people in the Andes for a very long time. It's especially important for the native communities there. This plant is known for being tough and growing well even in difficult conditions. Its tubers are not only nutritious but also have some interesting properties.

Other Names for Mashua

While "mashua" is the most common name in Peru and Ecuador, this plant has many other local names. Here are a few:

• mashwa (Ecuador and Peru)
• maswallo
• mazuko
• mascho (Peru)
• añu (in Peru and Bolivia)
• isaño
• cubio (in Colombia)
• tuberous nasturtium

In Boyacá, Colombia, it is also called nabu.

Growing Mashua: A Resilient Plant

Mashua is an amazing plant because it can grow well even in poor soils. It also does a great job competing with weeds. This makes it perfect for farming in high-altitude areas where other crops might struggle. Mashua produces a lot of tubers; some farms can get 30 tons per hectare (about 2.5 acres) at 3000 meters (around 9,800 feet) above sea level! Under special research conditions, yields have even reached 70 tons per hectare.

One of mashua's most special features is its incredible natural resistance to insects, tiny worms (nematodes), and harmful bacteria. This protection comes from natural chemicals called isothiocyanates inside the plant. Even though mashua is a farmed plant, it can also grow wild because it's so strong and grows aggressively. Farmers in Colombia sometimes plant mashua next to potato fields. It helps keep pests away from the potatoes, acting as a natural pest control. This makes mashua a great choice for agroecology, which is a way of farming that works with nature.

Popular Peruvian cultivar Yawar Waqay, meaning "weeping blood"

Eating Mashua: A Unique Flavor

When mashua tubers are raw, they can taste a bit bitter. This is due to natural compounds called glucosinolates. However, the bitterness goes away after you cook them, freeze them, or even mash them. The tubers make up a large part of the mature plant, sometimes as much as 75% of its dry weight.

Some people find mashua's strong flavor quite unique. Historically, there are stories from the 16th century, recorded by Father Bernabé Cobo, that the Inca leaders would give their soldiers large amounts of mashua. This was believed to help the soldiers focus on their duties and forget about their homes and families. Despite this, mashua tubers roasted in traditional earthen ovens during harvest time are considered a delicious treat. You can also shred raw mashua thinly and add it to salads for a spicy taste and a satisfying crunch.

Mashua as a Garden Beauty

In the Andes, mashua is mostly grown for its edible tubers. But in other parts of the world with milder climates, it's also valued as an ornamental plant. It has a lovely trailing habit and produces striking, two-toned tubular flowers in summer and autumn. The sepals (outer parts of the flower) are orange-red, and the petals are bright yellow. If you live in an area with frost, mashua plants might need some protection during winter. A special type of mashua, T. tuberosum var. lineamaculatum 'Ken Aslet', has even won an Award of Garden Merit for its beauty.

Flowering mashua plants near Quito, Ecuador, 1990

Cultivated mashua plant

Health Benefits of Mashua

Mashua has been used in traditional practices for various health purposes. For example, the Spanish historian Cobo noted that Inca Emperors gave mashua to their armies. This was believed to help them stay focused.

Mashua's Healing Power

Recent studies have looked into mashua's ability to help wounds heal. In experiments with mice, a special gel made with 1% mashua extract was shown to speed up the healing of open wounds. More research is needed to see if these same healing benefits can be applied to humans.

Mashua's Nutritional Riches

Mashua is truly a nutritional powerhouse! It's packed with important nutrients that help your body stay healthy and strong.

Building Blocks: Proteins in Mashua

Mashua is an excellent source of protein. Its dry weight can contain about 6.9% to 15.7% protein. What's even better is that it has a great mix of essential amino acids. These are like the building blocks your body needs but can't make on its own. Mashua provides them in a good balance, making its protein very valuable. It includes important branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) like leucine, isoleucine, and valine, which are vital for muscle health.

Healthy Energy: Fats in Mashua

Mashua tubers have a low fat content, usually between 0.1% and 0.4% of their dry weight. But the fats they do have are mostly healthy ones! Studies show that mashua flour contains a significant amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, around 70.8%. The most common healthy fats are linoleic acid (an omega-6) and α-linolenic acid (an omega-3). These are important for your brain and heart. Mashua has a good balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fats, which is great for your health.

Fuel for Your Body: Carbohydrates in Mashua

Mashua is a good source of carbohydrates, which give your body energy. Depending on how it's grown and the variety, its dry weight can be between 69.7% and 79.5% carbohydrates. Most of these carbohydrates are in the form of starch. About 85% of this starch is easily digested, giving you quick energy, while the rest helps with digestion.

Digestive Helpers: Fiber in Mashua

The tubers of mashua are also a good source of dietary fiber. They contain about 5 to 7 grams of fiber per 100 grams of dry matter. Fiber is super important for your digestive system. It helps keep things moving smoothly and can prevent common tummy troubles like constipation, which can affect kids.

Essential Nutrients: Vitamins in Mashua

Mashua is rich in important vitamin C and beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is what your body uses to make vitamin A. The amount of these vitamins can vary depending on where the mashua is grown and its specific type. For example, yellow mashua tubers have good levels of vitamin C. But tubers that are both yellow and purple can have even more, sometimes two to four times more vitamin C than regular potatoes! Purple tubers also have high levels of beta-carotene.

Powering Up: Minerals in Mashua

Mashua is also packed with essential minerals that your body needs. Just like vitamins, the mineral content can change based on the mashua variety and where it's grown.

As you can see in the table, different colors of mashua tubers have different amounts of minerals. Purple tubers, for instance, have much higher levels of calcium and iron compared to yellow or yellow-purple types. In fact, they can have 3 to 4 times more calcium and over 200 times more iron! However, these purple tubers have less potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. Mashua generally has less calcium than potatoes, but much more phosphorus. Yellow and yellow-purple mashua varieties also have significantly more potassium than potatoes. Besides vitamins and minerals, mashua also contains other beneficial compounds like gallic acid, anthocyanins (which give purple color), and flavonoids.

See Also

In Spanish: Cubio para niños

• Oca
• New World crops
• Ulluco
• Yacon