Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a food plant that the Portuguese introduced to Africa from America in 1558.
Cassava has been a subsistence crop among local farmers who consume the edible roots and the remainder sold for profit. Aside from rice and maize, cassava is the third most commonly consumed carbohydrate-rich meal.
Today, Africa is the world’s leading producer of cassava harp. Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Cameron, and Liberia are three of Africa’s top producing countries recognized for high productivity farming. To avoid being bored with the mundane task of slicing and boiling cassava, Africans have created five popular methods.
Fresh root: the roots are high in cyanide, resulting in goiter. Fresh roots are normally not eaten raw due of this, as well as the fact that they are bitter. Fresh roots, on the other hand, can be roasted over an open fire or slowly cooked to remove the cyanide. Sweet cassava varieties can be boiled and eaten as “ampesi,” which goes well with a thick soup or stew in Ghana.
Dried root: The dried roots, known in Uganda as “mapoka”, are milled into flour. Because of the mold growth, fufu prepared from this flour is mostly nourishing and high in protein. Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda are all familiar with the fermenting process, which gives the dish its enticing flavor.
Granulated products: In Africa, granulated products like gari, tapioca, and attieke are particularly popular. Gari, for example, goes through the grating, fermentation, and roasting processes. It has a sour taste and has an extended shelf life.
Paste delicacies: In Nigeria’s urban marketplaces, cooked cassava pasty products are sold. Wrapped in a plastic bag, it serves as an evening meal for urban residents. To the Congolese, steamed paste (chickwangue) is a ready-to-eat market delicacy that practically everyone enjoys. Because each stage is labor-intensive, this process can be costly.
Chips and flour are the most commonly sold cassava commodities, while processed cassava products are becoming increasingly popular on the global market.
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