Manioc

=Manioc =

Manioc, a flavorless and starchy plant rich in carbohydrates, usually known as Yucca in South America and Cassava worldwide, is a shrub that is part of the //Euphorbiaceae // family that is indigenous to South America. As much today as thousands of years ago, it is cultivated for “starchy tuberous root” (quoted from Wikipedia). The roots of the Cassava plant can be put into two groups, either sweet (which isn’t actually sweet, just neutral) or bitter, which is scientifically determined by the amount of toxic cyanogenic glucosides in the roots; a higher amount results in a more bitter plant. Both types are edible, but the bitter type must be prepared in a certain way to lower the amount of the toxins, else it can cause a disease called konzo. This makes it sort-of interesting to realize that somehow, the natives of South America realized thousands of years ago that the roots were actually edible.

Wherever manioc is farmed, it is a staple crop, as it is a rich source of carbohydrates (the third largest source of carbohydrates in the world). It resembles potatoes, and can be substituted for potatoes when it is prepared aptly. It is used in a wide variety of forms, in soups, dumplings, gravies, even deep fried (although it probably wasn’t deep fried thousands of years ago). Now, as well as thousands of years ago, it is grounded, similar to the way corn is grounded to make tortillas, to make a few different types of substances, one of which is commonly known in America as tapioca ; it is rare to find a meal in an area where manioc is grown that does not include manioc in some shape or form, generally in a ground form. It also has some interesting uses, such as an ingredient in a bubble drink in East Asia.

Images:

A small part of a cut, unpeeled Mantioc root ([])

A grown Mantioc plant, as seen from the top of the ground ([])

A girl in Mozambique selling her selection of raw Mantioc roots; some plants can take up to 3 years to grow before they are harvested ([])

Videos/External Sites:

A site that shows how manioc flour must be prepared: []

The official site of "Cassava", a company that sells cassava-related drinks (the "bubble drinks" above links to the same page): []

A video about the harvest of Cassava (in South America): []

Sources: [] [] []

-Joseph Cornett, A Block