WTF? (What’s This Food?) is an occasional column where we see something unusual in the grocery store and ask “What’s This Food?” We purchase the food, research the food item on the internet, and prepare a dish with it.
One afternoon while shopping at the grocery store I spotted a frozen bag of some food I’d never heard of.
Cassava.
I wondered what it could be. I shot a photo and uploaded it to Facebook. Within minutes, my friends (who are worldlier than me) replied with tidbits of information. 1) Shirley said it’s what tapioca is made from 2) Ellen ate cassava chips in Vieques 3) Joe ate yuca fries in Costa Rica while watching the Word Cup and said cassava can be used in stews like potatoes.
This was all very interesting, and I thought I should try making something with cassava. Once home, I looked up cassava on Wikipedia and learned that cassava is a “woody shrub” that is native to South America, that cassava provides “a basic diet for around 500 million people,” and that Nigeria is the worlds largest producer.
I was also taken back to read that Time magazine considers cassava to be on the list of “Top 10 Most Dangerous Foods.” Wikipedia warns: “Improper preparation of cassava can leave enough residual cyanide to cause acute cyanid intoxication and goiters, and even may cause ataxia or partial paralysis.” Yikes!
On my next trip back to the supermarket, I picked up a bag. It sat in my freezer until one night when I had some time, and the courage, to make something of it. Back to the computer, where I researched cassava recipes and decided to make fries – or as they are known in other parts of the world – chips.
I read a few recipes and improvised. First, I boiled the cassava for thirty minutes as recommended. No chances to be taken with this. The cassava grew soft, just like boiling potatoes. I placed the cassava in a colander to drain the water off, and a few minutes later I sliced them into french fries size strands. Cassava has a stringy center, and I stripped that out and discarded.
Since I don’t have a deep fryer, I filled a small pot with vegetable oil and heated. After dropping one slice of the cassava in, and seeing it bubble, I started frying the cassava until it was crisp. In addition to reading a few recipes to compare notes, I watched a video of making cassava chips which was helpful. I probably could have let the cassava chips brown more, but they were crisp on the outside when I removed from the oil and set onto a plate with paper towels.
One of the recipes called for creating a topping by mixing cinnamon, salt and sugar. I mixed these together in a separate bowl and sprinkled it over the fried cassava chips.
My son took one bite and said, “they are just like potatoes.” After fifteen minutes, he was alive and well, so I tried one. (I”m joking!) My wife commented they didn’t seem to be as greasy as fries often are when we order takeout. I liked that the cassava chips crisped up nicely on the outside, yet tasted a bit lighter than potatoes. In addition to the sprinkling of the cinnamon, salt and sugar, we dipped them in ketchup as well.
I’d be interested to know if you’ve cooked cassava or have any recipes. Do you have any cassava stories?
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