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Lepidium meyenii

Lepidium meyenii, or maca, is an Andean food plant whose dried root is ground into powder for drinks, porridges and baked foods.

Lepidium meyenii — illustrative ingredient image

About Lepidium meyenii

Lepidium meyenii is maca, a cultivated Andean plant whose root is used as food. The root is commonly dried and ground into a powder, which can be stirred into drinks or mixed into porridges and baked foods. Dried maca has a firm, starchy character before milling; the powder is fine and typically has an earthy, malty flavour.

Maca is also sold as dried root pieces and in processed powdered forms. Colour and flavour can vary among roots and products, and the name alone does not establish whether a powder is raw, cooked, or otherwise processed. This entry concerns maca root and foods made from it, not a specified supplement formulation.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where lepidium meyenii appears

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Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for lepidium meyenii

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

maca

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Lepidium meyenii nutrition & diet

Lepidium meyenii nutritional value

Reference: Maca silvestre

Per 100 g of 100 g edible portion in the named official reference form.

Calories
69kcal
Protein
3.5g
Carbs
13.2g
Fat
1.0g

Official national food-composition reference. The displayed food form is part of the estimate; cultivar, recipe, brand, processing and preparation can change values.

Nutrition comparisons should specify whether maca is fresh, dried, cooked, or powdered, since moisture loss and processing change the edible form being measured. Powders and extracts should not be assumed equivalent to whole dried root.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: Tablas Peruanas de Alimentos, online version 2023 — U12 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .