Cassava / Manioc / Yuca


Cassava Roots, whole and cut [Manioc; Yuca (Hispanic); Balinghoy, Kamoteng kahoy (Philippine); Mogo (Africa); Mandioca, Tapioca-root (India); Manihot esculenta]

Cassava / Manioc is native to South America, but is now a critically important food crop through the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Nigeria is now the largest producer, and Thailand is the largest exporter of dried Cassava products. Roots are rated "sweet" (not bitter) if they have a low cyanide content and "bitter" if they have a high cyanide content. Bitter Cassava requires special processing before consumption, but the FDA doesn't allow that variety to be sold in the United States. The largest of the photo specimen was 11-1/2 inches long, 2-1/4 inches diameter and weighed just over 1 pound.

Cassava root should not be eaten raw, but is peeled, chunked and boiled to make it edible. It is then drained and used as chunks or mashed, similarly to potatoes. South American natives use cassava to make a mildly alcoholic beverage, cauim, with fermentation started by spitting into the vat, the same method once used to produce sake in Japan.


Buying & Storing:

  Cassava is sold in the U.S. mainly under the name "Yuca" (not at all related to our southwest Yuccas (two "c") which are agaves, not spurges). It is widely available anywhere there are Latin American communities. The roots are generally heavily waxed to keep them from drying out. Even waxed roots are very perishable, so you should buy them from a source with high turnover and carefully check them to make sure they are firm, heavy, and with no soft spots whatever. Use them within a couple days at most. Unwaxed cassava will go off flavor in two or three days even when refrigerated. Roots are extremely sensitive to water loss, and spoilage starts with purple streaks internally.

Cooking:

  Cassava must be peeled, which will also remove the heavy wax coating. After peeling, if it is to be kept more than an hour or two, it should be kept under water acidulated with citric acid or lemon juice to prevent discoloration. In wet cooking, modest size cubes will keep their shape quite well, but some will open up with cracks. Whole cylindars of the root, when cooked tender, will split lengthwise into two or more pieces. This makes it very easy to pull out the thin fibrous core.



Gari


Mound of Gari Granules This was a basic travel food of West Africa, but is now used for many other occasions. The granules can even be eaten dry, but better, simply mix with an equal amount of cold water and a little salt. After sitting for 20 minutes or so, it makes a fine accompaniment for spicy stews and the like, with an interesting, slightly sour flavor. It is also used in a great number of other ways, both as a featured ingredient or sprinkled on food as a simple condiment.

Gari is made by peeling and grating or mashing cassava tubers, then fermenting the mash for 5 days to remove the cyanide. It is then put in porous bags and pressed in a screw or hydraulic press to remove as much liquid as possible. After this it is sifted to remove fibers and reduced to the desired particle size. Next it is roasted over a wood fire in a large iron pan for 20 to 30 minutes, after which it is cooled and sieved. Particles that don't pass the sieve can be sold as a lesser grade. Some Gari is processed with Palm or Peanut oil at one or more stages of its production.



Manioc Farina


Mound of Manioc Farina Granules This is the Gari of Brazil, and is manufactured by a similar fermenting and granulating process. The most important use is to make the extremely popular side / breakfast dish Farofa, where it is roasted with other ingredients, particularly butter. For an example, see our recipe Farofa.

This product comes in two versions, "Cruda" (raw) or Torrada (roasted). The Torrada has a somewhat nutty flavor. The Cruda is often toasted before use. African Gari is easier to find in North America, and pretty much identical to the Cruda.



Cassava Flour / Manioc Flour


Mound of Cassava Flour

Caution:   This product is not the same as Tapioca Flour. It is dried and ground whole Manioc roots, not just the starch extracted from them. It has become very popular in North America because it is as close to wheat flour as you can get and still be gluten free. It is also nut-free, vegetarian, vegan and grain free, so is acceptable to people on the Paleo Diet. Of course, real Paleo humans gathered and ate grains any time they were in season.

This product is produced similarly to Gari, but it is not fermented. Also, rather than being roasted, it is sun dried, then ground extremely fine in a pin mill. This processing reduces cyanide content without fermenting.



Tapioca Flour / Tapioca Starch / Manioc Starch


Mound of Tapioca Starch

Caution:   This product is not the same as Cassava Flour. Tapioca flour is used as a common thickener worldwide, and in the form of tapioca pearls to make puddings and deserts. Tapioca is used to make the jelly balls in the boba drinks popular in East and Southeast Asia and with children in North America.

Production of Tapioca is more complex than Cassava Flour, because there is an extraction step to separate the starch from the other components of the flour. It may be formed into granules, or into beads of various sizes.



Sour Tapioca Flour / Acid Manioc Starch


Mound of Sour Tapioca Starch

This product is made from Tapioca flour by Fermenting and Sun Drying (only natural Sun Drying works). This process gives the Tapioca Starch some unique properties. In baking, it expands without yeast, baking soda or other leavening agents. It is used in many specialty baking applications, including gluten free breads and pastries. Most of this flour is made in Brazil.



Cassava Leaves


Cassava Leaves on Plant Cassava Leaves are edible, after being properly cooked to rid them of Cyanide. Cooking time should be at least 10 minutes, with the cooking water discarded. The leaves are particularly high in protein for a leafy green (3.7%), which is much more than the roots. It is high quality protein similar to eggs and soybeans, containing lysine, isoleucine, leucine, valine, and arginine, not common in green leafy plants.

Flavor of the leaves is not strong, but taste like a mix of spinach and peas. They are usually used in fairly strongly flavored soups and stews. Cassava Leaves are a major source of nutrition in Indonesia. Dried powdered Cassava leaves are sometimes available from markets dealing with African ingredients. Dried and Frozen Cassava Leaves are often available in Philippine markets here in Southern California.   Photo by Kenic distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution v3.0 Unported.

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