Wikipedia Article About Mashua on Wikipedia The mashua or añu is a perennial plant grown in the Andes for its edible tuber. It is a major food source there. The tuber is rather peppery in flavor when raw, but this quality disappears when cooked. The plant is well adapted to high-altitude subsistence agriculture. It grows vigorously even in marginal soils and in the presence of weeds, and gives high yields; the tubers comprise as much as 75 percent of the mature plants by dry weight (40 percent is typical for cereals), and 70 tons per hectare have been produced under research conditions.