Oca: A Lost Crop of the Inca

Oca belongs to the family of plants our native Irish wood sorrel belongs to, known in Irish Gaelic as Seamsóg no relation to our national plant the Shamrock which is Trifolium dubium. This plant cousin of our native sorrel comes from the mid level, wet, cool regions of the Andes Mountains which share a similar climate to the Irish climate. Our wood sorrel is botanically known as Oxalis acetosella whereas Oca is Oxalis tuberosa they are relatively closely related. But for the vagaries of history should have been introduced as one of the Andean crops brought to Ireland by the explorers, for various reasons this wonderful tuber got left behind. Oca is the second most important tuber crop of the Andean people only second to potato but historically was always planted in addition to potato and on higher poorer soils. This strategic use of Oca is an interesting lesson in food safety strategy developed over thousands of years. Another question for another day is if indeed it is a coincidence that both the native wood sorrel of Ireland and Oca from the Andes are from the same Oxalis genus. As the Andes and Ireland separated with the tectonic plate shift some 200 million years ago an ancestral species could well have been common to both continents.

Oca tubers come in a remarkable range of colours — from deep purple and red to orange, yellow and white — and are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and complex carbohydrates. The crop is naturally resilient, requiring minimal inputs and thriving in cool, wet conditions that would challenge many other tuber crops. These characteristics make Oca particularly well suited to Irish and Northern European growing conditions.

At Beotanics, we see Oca as a crop with enormous untapped potential for the European food market. Its unique flavour profile — often described as tangy and slightly citrusy — combined with its nutritional density and vibrant natural colours, make it an exciting candidate for product development in the functional food and natural ingredient sectors. Our ongoing research aims to evaluate the best varieties for commercial cultivation and to develop scalable propagation methods through our BeoLab® tissue culture facility.