Jicama is a crispy, sweet, edible tuber that resembles a turnip in physical appearance, although the plants are not related. It has been cultivated in South America for centuries, and the vegetable is quite popular in Mexican cuisine.Jicama's unique flavor lends itself well to salads, salsas, and vegetable platters.icama tastes more like fresh sugar snap peas or sweet green beans than turnips or potatoes, which people had asked above. We use it instead of water chestnuts, have used strips in oriental salads, but our favorite Jicama use is in fresh salsa. Add about as much chopped Jicama as you do onion.