Yucca may not be a
staple in most American homes, but it is a versatile and delicious food that
offers a little something different for your lunch or dinner.
And it’s also good for
you.
Yucca is low fat and low
sodium and has zero cholesterol, it is also source of fiber
And even better yet, it is gluten free.
The simplicity and
flavor of yucca dishes make nutritious it perfect for eating regularly.
 |
| Yucca plants in the Amazon. |
Something important to
notice is that when you start eating a new ingredient it may not have much
taste at first.
It takes a week or two
for the taste buds to get used to new tastes and meanwhile the food may taste
quite bland without a good seasoning.
When I first ate
yucca, for me, it had no flavor.
I could not understand
the enthusiasm of the people around me.
They treated the food
like the lost nectar of gods and I only wished I would be able to give it away
to someone and not eat it.
It took some time
before I was brave enough to try yucca again.
Luckily the next time
it was not in a soup but I was offered yucca bread.
I could not understand
how something could taste so good and how it could be the same thing I was
given in the soup before.
Yucca bread remains to
be my favorite form of eating yucca.
Although yucca
tortillas are a good competitor, and I have learned to love mashed, fried and
even cooked yucca in various forms.
Yucca or cassava is native
to the tropical areas of the Americas and it is widely grown all over Latin
America and the Caribbean.
It has been around,
since before Columbus’s arrival, as a staple food of the Taino, Carib, and
Arawak population, especially in the form of yucca bread.
Due to its crucial
nature to the culture, the natives revered it, a 1554 Spanish historical
account describes a ceremony in which a native priest blessed yucca bread and
then divided it among the tribal people present.
The recipients then
preserved the bread to protect their families from danger throughout the
following year.
 |
| Making yucca bread. Please don't look at the hair, I wasn't supposed to be in the picture, lol. |
Yucca can also be made
into several other items, tapioca is actually yucca starch used in puddings and
as a thickening agent.
Other preparations
include dough for empanadas and tamales, chips, and fritters.
When buying yucca
roots look for firm roots, with no soft spots, also buy whole roots that have
not had their ends removed.
There are two
varieties of yucca – sweet and bitter both of them contain Prussic acid
(hydrocyanic acid), which can cause cyanide poisoning.
Cooking or pressing
the root thoroughly removes the poison, in Ecuador yucca is always pealed and
then grated throughout before cooking it.
 |
| Yucca, or cassava, plant. |
But don’t be
intimidated because you won’t come into contact with bitter yucca in U.S.
stores.
Only sweet yucca is
sold in American markets fresh or frozen.
Bitter yucca is
processed in US into safe edible flours and starches, which in turn are made
into breads, pastries and cakes.
To make yucca bread I
use ready yucca flour, some people here make their own flour but I find using
store bought one lot easier and time saving.
Yucca bread is quite
easy to make.
 |
| My friend Celia having a taste of the yucca bread. |
Mix a pound of yucca
or cassava flour with two teaspoons of baking powder.
Then mix two pounds of
grated fresh cheese with the flour and add two eggs.
Add a little bit of
milk, less than a half cup, into the dough.
The dough needs to be
rigid and not running.
Mix everything and
roll it into bread rolls.
Put the bread rolls to
a pan.
 |
| Make small rolls to be sure they'll bake well inside. |
Heat the oven to 300
Celsius and bake them until you can stick a toothpick into the roll and nothing
sticks into it.
Enjoy!
What you need:
1 pound of yucca flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 pouds of ground fresh cheese (mozarella or something similar)
Little bit of milk
