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Commodities > Fruits, Nuts and Oils Cassava [ Background Information ] [ Related Links ] Cassava, also called Manioc, Mandioc, or Yuca, is the staple food of around 500 million people. It tolerates drought and low fertility and is primarily grown and eaten by small-scale farmers in areas with poor soils or unfavourable climates. It requires minimal fertilizer, pesticides and water. Also, because cassava can be harvested anytime from 8 to 24 months after planting, it can be left in the ground as a safeguard against unexpected food shortages. Its starchy roots produce more calories per unit of land than any other crop in the world, except perhaps sugar cane. The leaves of the plants provide vitamins and proteins when eaten as a a vegetable - a common practice in Africa. The leaves are often fed to livestock too. A cyanide-producing sugar derivative occurs in varying amounts in most varieties.
Primitive peoples developed a complex refining system to remove the poison
by grating, pressing, and heating the tubers. The poison (hydrocyanic acid)
has been used for darts and arrows. All the approximately 160 species of the genus Manihot are sun-loving natives of tropical America. Ceará rubber is produced from M. glaziovii, from northeastern Brazil. Food items such as the gelatinous fufu of West Africa and the bami mush of Jamaica come from cassava. Additional cassava products include an alcoholic beverage made by Indians in South America, the powdery casabe cakes of Yucatán, and tapioca, the only cassava product on northern markets. This strange looking tropical crop originated in Central America and was taken to West Africa in the sixteenth century. The Spanish also introduced it to the Philippines and it is now grown in large areas of Africa, Asia and Central America. It can be processed into different forms for a wide variety of end uses, and much of this processing can be carried out locally, providing jobs and income in rural areas. The cultivated roots are turned into cassava flour, breads, tapioca, a laundry starch, and even an alcoholic beverage can be derived. Uses Once harvested, cassava deteriorates quickly, so it must be eaten or processed quickly. Although some varieties can be eaten raw or cooked like potatoes, many contain high levels of cyanogenic glucosides that must be removed before they can be eaten. The toxins are typically removed from these bitter varieties by peeling and grating the root to make a pulp that is then left to ferment slightly before being pressed, dried and roasted. In West Africa, this processed cassava meal is known gari which accounts for 70 percent of Nigeria's total cassava consumption. In other parts of Africa, the fermented cassava pulp is pounded into a paste, known as foo- foo. Cassava can also be made into food products, such as tapioca, used as animal feed, and processed into starch. Many of the 'crisps' bought in Africa are made from cassava. Cassava leaves are used in baby food, the leaves are dried, ground into flour and used as a cheap source of protein. Africans eat a wide variety of foods made from cassava each day. For example, 100% cassava flour can be produced for making bread. Even foreign white bread made from wheat flour can have 20% substituted for cassava flour to reduce the cost of wheat imports. Nigeria imports about 1m tonnes of wheat annually, worth about $200m. However, cassava has its problems. It is full of carbohydrate but nothing much else. Since it contains very little protein, people need to eat something in addition to it to ensure they get a balance of protein, vitamins and minerals. Tapioca Tapioca is a preparation of cassava-root starch used as a food, in bread or as a thickening agent in liquid foods, notably puddings but also soups and juicy pies. In processing, heat ruptures the starch grains, converting them to small, irregular masses that are further baked into flake tapioca. A pellet form, known as pearl tapioca, is made by forcing the moist starch through sieves. Granulated tapioca, marketed in various-sized grains and sometimes called “manioca,” is produced by grinding flake tapioca. When cooked, tapioca swells into a pale, translucent jelly. International Fund for Agricultural Development
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