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Glite Dictionary
oca

oca

1 9.9
A plant from South America with small edible roots used as a main food
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊkə/
  • UK
translation icon : oca
  • Oca!

Examples

  • Oca!

    Despicable Me 2 (2013)

  • Our menu suggests that we try the ulluco, a candy-striped root, and also oca, like potatoes.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • In the Andes, farmers often grow oca as a staple food due to its nutritious tubers.

  • During my trip to Peru, I tasted delicious dishes made with oca tubers.

  • The chef prepared a salad featuring roasted oca, which added a unique flavor.

Synonyms

Oxalis tuberosa
vsoca
  • Specialized
9.9

A South American plant people grow for its edible tubers called oca

is the common local name rather than the botanical form
oka
vsoca
9.9

A South American plant with edible roots used like a potato

is the common name rather than an alternate spelling
Oxalis crenata
vsoca
  • Specialized
9.9

A South American plant that people grow for its edible, tangy tubers

means the staple Andean tuber rather than a different but similar species

Surface Forms

oca singular
ocas plural

Etymology

Oca comes from an indigenous Andean language such as Quechua, where people used the same name for the plant. A helpful way to remember it is to think of oca as the Andes' small 'potato', so today oca means the edible tuber grown and eaten in the Andes.