WHAT IT CALLED?
In the vernacular languages of the places where it is cultivated, cassava is called yuca (Spanish), mandi'o (Guaraní), mandioca (Spanish and Portuguese), aipim or macaxeira (Portuguese), manioka or maniota (Polynesian), balinghoy or kamoteng kahoy (in the Philippines),শিমলু আলু or "shimolu aalu" (Assamese), tabolchu (Garo), kuchik kilangu or maravallik kilangu (Tamil), akpụ (Igbo), rōgṑ (Hausa), mogo(throughout Africa), and kappa (predominantly in India),මන්ඤොක්කා(Sri lanka).
nutrition facts and health benefits
Cassava (yuca or manioc) is a nutty flavored, starch-tuber in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) of plants. It thought to have originated from the South-American forests. Its sweet, chewy underground tuber is one of the popular edible root-vegetables. Indigenous people of many parts of Africa, Asia and South American continents used it as staple food source since centuries. Together with other tropical roots and starch-rich foods like yam, taro, plantains, potato, etc, it too is an indispensable part of carbohydrate diet for millions of inhabitants living in these regions.Some of the common names include manioc, or mandioca in Brazil, manihot, tapioca and yuca.
Cassava is a perennial plant that grows best under tropical, moist, fertile, and well-drained soils. Completely grown plant reaches to a height of about 2-4 m. Under the cultivation fields, its cut-stem sections are planted just as in the case of sugarcanes. After about 8-10 months of plantation; long, globular roots or tubers grow in a radial pattern downwards deep into the soil from the bottom end of stem upto the depth of 2-4 feet.
Each tuber weighs one to several pounds depending upon the cultivar type and feature gray-brown, rough, woody textured skin. Its interior flesh features white, starch rich sweet-flavored meat, that should be eaten only after cooking.
Cassava has nearly twice the calories than that of potatoes and perhaps one of the highest value calorie food for any tropical starch rich tubers and roots. 100 g root provides 160 calories. Their calorie value mainly comes from sucrose which accounts for more than 69% of total sugars. Amylose (16-17%) is another major complex carbohydrate sources.
- As in other roots and tubers, cassava too is free from gluten. Gluten-free starch is used in special food preparations for celiac disease patients
- Young tender cassava (yuca) leaves are a good source of dietary proteins and vitamin K. Vitamin-K has a potential role in bone mass building by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bones. It also has established role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.
- Cassava is a moderate source of some of the valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, thiamin, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin, and pantothenic acid.
ITS CANCER FIGHITING LINK
Preparation and serving methods
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