the.com/cassava
a root that feeds a billion people and can poison you if you're lazy about it
means A starchy tropical root crop, also called manioc or yuca, that must be properly soaked, fermented, or cooked to break down its natural cyanide-producing compounds before it's safe to eat.
from From the Spanish 'cazabe' or Portuguese 'cassave', which borrowed it from the Taíno language of the Caribbean — the Indigenous people who greeted (and were soon devastated by) Columbus. The Taíno word named the bread they made from the pounded, drained root, and European colonizers carried both the plant and the word across the Atlantic into Africa and Asia, where it became a staple far from its American home.
- raw danger
- contains cyanide compounds until properly processed
- global reach
- third-largest source of carbs in the tropics
- alter ego
- tapioca pearls start as this root
- drought boss
- thrives where corn and rice quit
- name game
- also called manioc, yuca, and mandioca
cassava root crop uganda — uganda produces 28 million tons annually, staple food for 200+ million africans
cassava fufu west africa — pounded cassava root dish central to cuisine in nigeria, ghana, and cameroon
cassava ethanol brazil — brazil produces cassava-based ethanol fuel as renewable energy alternative since 1970s