Manioc- Yucca-

Yucca, which although sounds foreign IS the English translation of this white starchy vegetable originally grown in Columbia, Venezuela, and Brazil. The fibrous root is the part that people fry and eat. The first time I went to a Brazilian restaurant, the guy taking our order asked us what we wanted as a side with our meal and when he told us the choices and said yucca, I said, “What’s yucca?” to which my boyfriend responded, “You’ve NEVER had yucca before!?” He told me how popular it was in Brazil and how much he liked it, so he ordered it for me to try.

When I first tasted yucca, I was amazed at how good it tasted and instantly compared it to eating French fries only thicker. That is probably the best description I can give of it. It tastes very starchy and dense but in the best of ways. It is fried, but not fried like eating fried chicken. It is very lightly fried. It is very easy to chew and very satisfying to eat.

After having yucca for the first time, I was surprised that I had never heard of it before. I went home and asked my family if they knew what it was. My siblings (23 and 16) and father had never heard of it or before either. My mother had heard of it before and knew that it was a root and very potato like. I was shocked that she knew what it was but had never mentioned it to me before.

Needless to say, since I liked the taste of it so much, I requested it as a side many times when we went out for Brazilian food.

Being curious about this scrumptious vegetable, I decided to do a little research and was shocked to find on the essortment.com website that “10.5 million lbs. of yucca were sold last year in the United States alone” and that more people are learning how to use it in cooking every day because it is very similar to the qualities of a potato.

Yuca (Cassava) Fries

24JUL

Yuca (cassava) is a starchy, tuberous root that originated in South America, most likely Brazil, and has probably been cultivated for 12,000 years. Today, Africa consumes the most yuca, with Nigeria being the world’s largest producer of the root. When dried, it becomes tapioca. Quite a handy root, eh?

The easiest (and possibly tastiest) way to prepare a yuca root is dead simple: all it takes is a quick boil and a little time with some quality coconut oil.

You’ll Need:
1 yuca/cassava
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

According to the great and all-knowing internet, when selecting a yuca/cassava you should choose firm tubers with no blemishes and a clean fresh scent. Personally, I just grabbed one that looked nice.

Peel and slice the yuca up into large slices, discarding any soft spots. Place in a pot and fill it with cold water.

Bring the pot to a boil and gently boil for about ten minutes, until the fries are easily pierced with a fork. Be careful not to boil them too long; they start to take on a gelatin-like gooeyness if overcooked.

Let the yuca drain for a few minutes while you warm up the oil in a pan on med/high heat.

I had heard great things about Kelapo’s coconut oil, and they were gracious enough to send me some product to try for myself. This oil had a very mild, light taste and excellent aroma that perfectly complemented the yuca fries and gave them an extra hint of tropical flavor.

Kelapo was also nice enough to give me a coupon code to share with you, my dear readers, so you can try their stuff out yourself! Just use the code “DomesticMan20” during checkout to get 20% off your order, from now until August 24th, 2012. Pretty awesome, huh? Okay, back to the recipe.