Cassava

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Name Variations

 * casava
 * manioc
 * mandioca
 * tapioca root
 * yuca
 * yuca root

About Cassava
Wikipedia Article About Cassava on Wikipedia

Yuca (also known as manioc or cassava), is a white, starchy tropical vegetable that is widely grown and consumed in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In many countries, yuca is a dietary staple usually eaten boiled, steamed, and in flour form as thickeners or additional ingredients for noodles, cakes, and pastries.

Yuca root has made a home growing in Florida since the late 1800s. Cassava is a bushy perennial that can grow as tall as 8 feet. The white interior of yucca is firmer than potatoes and has high starch content. Fresh yucca has thick, dark brown skin that resembles a tree's bark. Fresh yucca is available year round. Look for firm blemish free tubers. Store whole yucca as you would potatoes, in a cool, dark, dry place for up to one week. Peeled yucca covered with water and refrigerated or wrapped tightly and frozen for several months.

Yuca can easily be substituted for potatoes in soups and stews and it contains a high amount of vitamin C and carbohydrates. It is also a good source of dietary fiber and contains approximately 120 calories per 1 cup serving.

The cassava or manioc (Manihot esculenta) is a woody Shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family) that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrate.

Cassava is called mandioca, aipim, or macaxeira in Portuguese, mandio in Guaraní, yuca in Spanish, mogho in Gujarati, balinghoy in Tagalog, and maniok in Danish.

Yuca should not be confused with the similarly spelled yucca.

Source

 * Vegetable of the Month: Tubers by the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, public domain government resource—original source of article