Fruits & Vegetables Week: Manihot esculenta, Yucca root, cassava or manioc

[Gurcharan Singh]

Manihot esculenta, Yucca root, cassava or manioc. The name can be really confusing, sold in stores of California under the name yucca root. It is reported that even Linnaeus based his generic name on Carribean name for cassava. The roots of Yucca are not edible containing high level of saponin and used for shampoo, plant mostly cultivated as ornamental

    Cassava can be cooked in various ways. The soft-boiled root has a delicate flavor and can replace boiled potatoes in many uses: as an accompaniment for meat dishes, or made into purées, dumplings, soups, stews, gravies, etc. Deep fried (after boiling or steaming), it can replace fried potatoes, with a distinctive flavor.

 

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Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/