Jan 16, 2015
Hello food warriors - maybe with tummy issues!
I recently saw this in my store and was like - I bet I could eat that. But. .what is it?
Turns out it's a yuca. Or yucca. The two names are used interchangeably yet they are names used for two different things.
What I am holding in the picture is a yuca - also known as a Cassava. Improper preparation of cassava can leave enough residual cyanide to cause acute cyanide intoxication and goiters, and may even cause ataxia or partial paralysis. The more toxic varieties of cassava are a fall-back resource in times of famine in some places.
A yucca - is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to parts of North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. It is also colloquially known in the lower Midwest United States as "ghosts in the graveyard", as it is commonly found growing in rural graveyards and when in bloom the cluster of (usually pale) flowers on a thin stalk appear as floating apparitions.
Yep. Lot's of death*. So - let's get started! Oh, if I said this is the same item that tapioca is made out of, would you feel better? It is!
*I mean, not really. But it enchances my street cred.
What You Need
First - you want to peel it. While the outside looks really woody and tough, it peels easily. The insides are white and kind of potato-ee I ended up chopping it up and peeling the sections because sometimes I peel my own hand and that's not a good thing.
You also want to remove the wooden core-strip from the center.You can't REALLY see it - it might be a little grayish or something. It won't actually cook right, so, you can remove them before eating. You'll see these wooden string like thing in your pot and be like, "oh noes."
Then make it like you would mashed potatoes - put it in a pot and cover with water. Salt it a little. Boil it for about 30 minutes or until it's very tender. I used my super-awesome Dutch oven. Seriously, I love it.
In the meantime, you can take a nap or something. Or watched Dog: The Bounty Hunter because you don't have cable or Netflix or whatever you popular people have.
Once you can pierce it with a fork with ease, remove it and drain and rinse it. Then return it to your pot (turn off the heat) and add your fixin's.
I used garlic (this is an old picture, do not eat the Gourmet Gardens Garlic - It does contain dairy! Use minced or powdered garlic), Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery spread and salt. The flavor of the yuca on its own is pretty sweet. It's denser than potato, it holds up pretty well, and it has a light sweet flavor.
Mash it or process it as you see fit. I used a fork because I wanted some chunks in there and I know I didn't get out all the cores - and this is what it looks like when you mash it. It doesn't really fall apart. You don't want to eat it.
Once you have it smashed, mashed or processed to your heart's content - serve!
So, right, that toxin stuff.
You don't want to eat this raw – and I like to eat things raw, so, I know the horror. You want to make sure it's cooked really well. Don't use the water you cooked it with, and make sure you rinse after cooking since the water might have some of the toxins in it. Other than that, you should be good to go.
This does remind me a little of tapioca - which is what you make with this root. It is very high in calories having twice as many as potatoes. It has almost no fat and it's got a good amount of vitamin C. It's a nice change up from mashed potatoes or can be made into a sweet dessert. I think that's what it is mostly used for.
About Death
Cassava is the third most important source of calories in the tropics, so, millions of people eat this stuff happily. The secret is cooking the root thoroughly. In fact, bitter or wild cassava contains enough acid so that it can be fatally poisonous if eaten raw or under-cooked. To escape the Conquistadors, many natives were known to commit suicide by eating raw cassava.
Don’t commit suicide by eating raw, wild cassava.
Got that? Don't eat it raw. Cook it until tender. Rinse. Then again, I’m not using the wild/bitter cassava. It’s the stuff they sell in Giant.
 |
| This is my BOOM stick |
Turns out it's a yuca. Or yucca. The two names are used interchangeably yet they are names used for two different things.
What I am holding in the picture is a yuca - also known as a Cassava. Improper preparation of cassava can leave enough residual cyanide to cause acute cyanide intoxication and goiters, and may even cause ataxia or partial paralysis. The more toxic varieties of cassava are a fall-back resource in times of famine in some places.
A yucca - is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to parts of North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. It is also colloquially known in the lower Midwest United States as "ghosts in the graveyard", as it is commonly found growing in rural graveyards and when in bloom the cluster of (usually pale) flowers on a thin stalk appear as floating apparitions.
Yep. Lot's of death*. So - let's get started! Oh, if I said this is the same item that tapioca is made out of, would you feel better? It is!
*I mean, not really. But it enchances my street cred.
What You Need
- 1 yuca: It's fun!
- Water: Good ol' tap
- Salt: Like my salty personality!
- Garlic: YES
First - you want to peel it. While the outside looks really woody and tough, it peels easily. The insides are white and kind of potato-ee I ended up chopping it up and peeling the sections because sometimes I peel my own hand and that's not a good thing.
You also want to remove the wooden core-strip from the center.You can't REALLY see it - it might be a little grayish or something. It won't actually cook right, so, you can remove them before eating. You'll see these wooden string like thing in your pot and be like, "oh noes."
Then make it like you would mashed potatoes - put it in a pot and cover with water. Salt it a little. Boil it for about 30 minutes or until it's very tender. I used my super-awesome Dutch oven. Seriously, I love it.
In the meantime, you can take a nap or something. Or watched Dog: The Bounty Hunter because you don't have cable or Netflix or whatever you popular people have.
Once you can pierce it with a fork with ease, remove it and drain and rinse it. Then return it to your pot (turn off the heat) and add your fixin's.
I used garlic (this is an old picture, do not eat the Gourmet Gardens Garlic - It does contain dairy! Use minced or powdered garlic), Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery spread and salt. The flavor of the yuca on its own is pretty sweet. It's denser than potato, it holds up pretty well, and it has a light sweet flavor.
Mash it or process it as you see fit. I used a fork because I wanted some chunks in there and I know I didn't get out all the cores - and this is what it looks like when you mash it. It doesn't really fall apart. You don't want to eat it.
Once you have it smashed, mashed or processed to your heart's content - serve!
So, right, that toxin stuff.
You don't want to eat this raw – and I like to eat things raw, so, I know the horror. You want to make sure it's cooked really well. Don't use the water you cooked it with, and make sure you rinse after cooking since the water might have some of the toxins in it. Other than that, you should be good to go.
This does remind me a little of tapioca - which is what you make with this root. It is very high in calories having twice as many as potatoes. It has almost no fat and it's got a good amount of vitamin C. It's a nice change up from mashed potatoes or can be made into a sweet dessert. I think that's what it is mostly used for.
About Death
Cassava is the third most important source of calories in the tropics, so, millions of people eat this stuff happily. The secret is cooking the root thoroughly. In fact, bitter or wild cassava contains enough acid so that it can be fatally poisonous if eaten raw or under-cooked. To escape the Conquistadors, many natives were known to commit suicide by eating raw cassava.
Don’t commit suicide by eating raw, wild cassava.
Got that? Don't eat it raw. Cook it until tender. Rinse. Then again, I’m not using the wild/bitter cassava. It’s the stuff they sell in Giant.
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