As I mentioned already, Saveur and The Economist magazine published some exciting articles about cassava last February. They say that it is a staple in Africa. I grew up eating cassava, or mandioca as it is called in Portuguese. Where I’m from it was more widely available than its traditional substitute, potato. For us it was a staple, too.

cassava purée AKA purê de mandioca

Aside from potato, cassava can replace rice or wheat in many dishes. These days, you can find it year-round in the frozen section, and often fresh as well. I usually shop for it in The Mission in San Francisco, at various Latino markets, like this one.

The frozen comes from Costa Rica in 1lb bags. They’re especially handy, as they’ve already been peeled. The fresh have a brown colored rough skin and come coated in paraffin, which is supposed to improve their shelf life. I’ve tried both types and see no difference in flavor. So if you have the choice, I’d say go for frozen and save some hassle.

This recipe is a take on mashed potatoes. It has a great flavor and makes for an excellent and exotic, yet familiar side dish.

easy to use frozen cassava from Costa Rica

cassava purée AKA purê de mandioca

1 lb frozen cassava
½ stick butter
1 cup milk
Kosher salt to taste
Ground white pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Drop frozen cassava root into pot of boiling water. Cover. Let cook for about 20 minutes or until segments start to collapse. Remove from heat, drain, and let cool.

Remove woody stringy parts from the center of the roots and discard.

Add milk to picked-over cassava in original pot. Mash using a fork or potato masher. Add butter, salt and white pepper. Blend with a stick blender until fluffy.

Cook, stirring often, until purée starts to stick to bottom of the pan. Adjust consistency with more milk. Add cheese and serve.