Cassava

A staple feeding 800 million

Cassava is the third-largest source of calories in the tropics — after rice and corn — feeding an estimated 800 million people, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where it’s a primary food for over half a billion. It tolerates drought, poor soils, and erratic rainfall better than most crops.

Africa now produces over 60% of the world’s cassava; Nigeria alone produces about 20% of global volume.

Cyanide caveat

Raw cassava contains cyanogenic glycosides that release cyanide when cells are damaged. Sweet cassava varieties contain low levels (peelable and cookable safely). Bitter varieties contain enough to cause acute poisoning if eaten raw or improperly processed.

Traditional processing methods — peeling, soaking, fermenting, cooking — reduce or eliminate the toxins:

• Garri (West African): grated, fermented, pressed, dried, fried.
• Brazilian farinha: similar fermented-and-roasted process.
• Boiling: removes most cyanide but doesn’t eliminate it from bitter varieties.

Cassava poisoning still occurs in regions where rapid drought-driven harvesting bypasses traditional processing time.

Tapioca’s source

The starch extracted from cassava is tapioca — used in puddings, bubble tea, gluten-free baking, and as a thickener globally.

Different from yuca

The Spanish word yuca refers to cassava. The genus Yucca (the desert plant with sword-shaped leaves) is unrelated despite the similar name. Cassava is sometimes called “yuca root” in Hispanic groceries.