Before we get to where Cassava came from, let's learn about the crop that has saved a lot of life.
Cassava is the third-largest source of food carbohydrates after rice and maize, Cassava is a major
staple food in the developing world, providing a basic diet for over half a billion people. It is one of the most drought-tolerant crops, capable of growing on marginal soils. Nigeria is the world's largest producer of cassava, while Thailand is the largest exporter of cassava starch.
Cassava can be found in the tropical regions around the world today. It grows on fertile, well-drained, moist soil in areas that are frost-free. Cassava is cultivated because of its edible root (tuber). Other than that, cassava has application in the industry of fuels and can be used as animal feed.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CASSAVA
1) Cassava has hand-shaped leaves, composed of 3 to 7 narrow lobes. Leaves are dark green-colored on the upper side and bluish-green on the underside.
2) Root of cassava can be used for the production of ethanol that is used as biofuel. China and Brazil are the greatest manufacturers of cassava-based biofuel today.
3) Starch extracted from the root can be used to soften the fabric and facilitate ironing.
4) Nigeria is the greatest manufacturer, while Thailand is the greatest exporter of cassava in the world.
5) It can be stored for two years in the ground without rotting!
FOOD GOTTEN FROM CASSAVA
1. Garri – Fried Cassava
This form of cassava food is processed by grinding and squeezing out the starchy content. The residue is left for three day to ferment (Ijebu Garri) thereafter, it is fried with into sand-like grains and the quality is determined by the dryness. That is, the drier the better. Other types like the popular Bendel Garri is fried immediately after grinding and squeezing out the water without leaving it to ferment.
2. The Cassava Tuber As Food
Cassava tubers could be cooked and enjoyed with varieties of stews also, it could be pounded and enjoyed like the usual pounded yam. But not all variety of cassava can be eaten that way as many are known to be highly toxic when eaten in such form.
The starch is usually a by-product in the garri process. Apart from being useful in other domestic application the cassava starch is a favorite food among the Urhobo people of Delta State. And they eat it just like Amala and Garri.
Cassava is processed into amala first by cutting it into pieces, soak it for two or three days, drying and grinding it into flour, the flour is then prepared similar to fufu and enjoyed with the popular Yoruba’s Ewedu soup.
Fufu is obtained by soaking the tuber into water for between four to five day to get it softened, then manually remove the chaff. The Cassava preparation follows similar process to garri but instead of frying, it is cooked and pounded into a pulp of various hardness and eaten with Nigerian soups such as the popular Igbo’s Egusi soup.
This is obtained by boiling the cassava tuber, peel off the back and cut the remaining into tiny pieces. Thereafter, it is soaked in a clean water over the night to get the starch out, the slippy deposit is washed off the actual food which then cooked as a local salad.
7. Cassava Bread
Recently, the baked version of the cassava foods was introduced into the Nigerian cassava food staples.
8. Cassava Vegetable
The cassava leafs is used to prepare vegetable soup by some in Nigeria. However, it must be cooked properly to detoxify before eating.
If you know any cassava food that is not mentioned here ? Let me know by commenting.
WHERE DID CASSAVA ORIGINATE FROM
Cassava, also known as manioc, tapioca, yucca or sweet potato tree, is a flowering plant that belongs to the spurge family. It originates from South America. Cultivation of cassava started in Peru 4.000 years ago.
Cassava was introduced to Africa by Portuguese traders from Brazil in the 16th century then it instantly became one of the most important crops. . Around the same period, it was also introduced to Asia through Columbian Exchange by Portuguese and Spanish traders, planted in their colonies in Goa, Malacca, Eastern Indonesia, Timor and the Philippines. Cassava is now important staple foods, replacing native African crop.
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