THE POTATO OF THE TROPICS

by Ulrich Koepf on October 28, 2021 with No Comments

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Manioc, Cassava, Yucca or Mandioca

– this tuber has many names. It has been cultivated for over 40,000 years and grows in the tropics, Latin America, Asia and Africa. You can find Yucca on every dinner table in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Cassava is characterized by a high starch content and is therefore particularly nutritious. Its starch powder is called Tapioca.

The hard Cassava shell cannot be handled with the peeler. Therefore cut into large slices and remove the peel sideways with a knife, like a pineapple.

Some varieties taste sweeter, some a bit bitter. The reason for this is the poisonous hydrogen cyanide, which can be neutralized by boiling or drying.

A good way is to process the tuber into a creamy puree or as a creamy soup. The best, however, I think yucca is fried. Prepared in this way, it is wonderfully suitable as a snack, but also as a slightly different side dish to a main course.

Maniok Fritters with Chili-Aioli

To do this, peel 2 large Cassava roots and cut into 10 cm long pieces. Cook in very heavily salted water together with 3 stalks of rosemary and 4 cloves of garlic until the pieces almost fall apart. Drain carefully and allow to evaporate. Then break the manioc into long pieces by hand and deep-fry them in hot oil at 170 degrees. Drain and season with plenty of Fleur de Sel and 1/2 teaspoons of finely chopped rosemary.

For the spicy Aioli Sauce, 2 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped, 2 red cjhilis, pitted and finely diced, and 1 large pinch of salt , mixed in a bowl. Add 2 egg yolks and 1 tbsp lemon juice and stir in vigorously. Gradually, first drop by drop, then in a thin stream, add 1.5 dl of olive oil, stirring constantly, until you have a nice emulison.