Recently, I’ve seen a couple of articles about cassava; one in The Economist, and another in Saveur. The latter is a report on a cassava crop disease in Africa and how devastating it is to the poor because they rely on this tuber as a staple for their main source of carbohydrates. The former is about its versatility. You can process it in many ways to either increase shelf life or to further its use for lots more delicious dishes.

garlicky limey cassava, or mandioca ao molho de limão e oregano

Originally, cassava comes from the tropical New World. Early settlers learned to eat it with the natives and use it to replace wheat flour. It is quite typical in my home state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Commonly you’ll see houses in the countryside with cassava growing in people’s backyards. Even though the plant’s sturdy, when uprooted you must eat it ASAP as it spoils in no time. Left in the ground you can just harvest whatever amount you need, whenever you want. Talk about a green technology! This sure beats refrigeration.

Cassava has as sweet and nutty flavor. One way I enjoyed it as a kid was for breakfast. My mother made it into a sort of porridge by boiling it, then mashing it with milk, sugar and a bit of butter for an added yum-factor. I have yet to feature that preparation here. I’ve been putting off because it seems too simple. But simple can be really good, so I need to work on that. If you want a bit more complex, look here, or here, or here.

I’ve adapted this recipe from one called yuca con mojo in a recent edition of Saveur. In English they call it “cassava with garlic and citrus.” I’ve renamed my version in Portuguese:

mandioca ao molho de limão e oregano

garlicky limey cassava

1lb fresh frozen cassava root
5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
Kosher salt to taste
3 tbsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped
Juice of 5 Mexican limes
1/3 cup of extra virgin arbequina olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper to taste

Place cassava root in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and cook for about 25 minutes or until soft. It is ready when the outer part becomes gooey and the inside offers a bit of resistance when you poke it with a fork. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.

Heat half of the olive oil. Add garlic and poach it for few seconds just enough for the raw garlic aroma to give way. Pour it over the drained cassava. Toss in remaining ingredients. Let sit so flavor will marry. Serve as a side dish.