Cepa de apio or cepa de apio criollo (Andean arracacha, or creole celery root) is a tuber. It can be used in the same manner as most other tubers: cepa de apio can be eaten boiled or as an ingredient in stews, purees, or roasted and fried in slices. Let's show you how to cook it.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Jan 20, 2024
How to cook cepa de apio
As far as taste and appearance go, Cepa de apio could be described as a gentle combination of carrot, celeriac, and root parsley, or as Tía Clara put it - "somewhere between potato and auyama (pumpkin)" in flavor and color.
Arracacha de apio recipes
On our blog, we have several cepa de apio recipes, like this soup, and a similar one combined with ginger. You can find as well a cepa de apio puree combined with yuca, and used as an option for Dominican yaroa. We also have a cepa de apio casserole very much worth trying.
Cream of cepa de apio soup
Cepa de apio casserole
Cepa de apio and yuca mash
Yaroa
Arracacha and ginger root soup
What's your favorite cepa de apio dish? Let me know in the comments!
What is cepa de apio?
Although the Dominican name cepa de apio (which I found out after exhaustive research on the internet is also used in Venezuela and Puerto Rico) translates literally as "celery root" this is not the same as the actual root of the celery plant known in English as "celeriac", although the two plants are closely related.
The scientific name for cepa de apio is Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancroft. In English, it is variously known as "white carrot", "Peruvian parsnip" or "Peruvian carrot", because it is most common in the Andean region.
Its indigenous Andean name is arracacha or arracha, and it was traditionally cultivated by the Incas for both human and animal consumption. These days, it is being rediscovered in the Andes as a useful crop because of its durability and nutritional value. In Brazil especially, it is used as baby food.
Cepa de apio benefits
Cepa de apio is said to have several excellent nutritional qualities, most notably a high calcium content (four times as much as potato).
I have to say that the moment I tasted it, I was an instant convert to cepa de apio. It is both delicate and tasty, aromatic, and delicious. It reminded me of tender, juicy, and tasty English parsnips at their best. I have not been such a fan of boiled and mashed víveres like the more common yuca and yautia until now, but this ingredient is certain to become a regular item on my shopping list.
How to store
Peel with a paring knife or potato peeler, you will need to first separate it in manageable chunks. Once peeled, rinse, pat dry with a paper towel and refrigerate for up to two days in an airtight container, or freeze for up to two weeks.
- Learn more about me and the humans behind this blog.
- Share your questions and comments about this post.
- Subscribe to receive our recipes and articles by email.
- Please stay in touch! Follow us on:
Comments
No Comments