On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 592
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fragmentsofthecarotenoidpigments.Some
varieties(e.g.,red-skinnedGarnet)suffer
fromafter-cookingdarkening(p.303)dueto
theirabundantphenoliccompounds.
TropicalRootsandTubers
Rootandtubervegetablesthatcomefromthe
tropicsgenerallycontainlesswaterthan
commonpotatoes,andasmuchasdoublethe
starch(potatoesare18%carbohydrateby
weight,cassavas36%).Theytherefore
becomeveryflourywhenbaked,denseand
waxywhenboiledorsteamed,andhelp
thickensoupsandstewsinwhichthey’re
included.Theyhavearelativelyshortstorage
lifeandsufferchillingdamageifrefrigerated,
butcanbefrozenafterpreliminarypeeling
andcutting.
Cassava, Manioc, and Yuca These are all
names for the elongated root of a tropical
plantinthespurgefamily, Manihotesculenta,
which has the very useful habit of lasting in
thegroundforasmuchasthreeyears.Itwas
domesticated in northern SouthAmerica, and
has spread through the lowland tropics of
AfricaandAsiainthelastcenturyorso.It’s
often made into flatbreads or fermented as
well as cooked on its own. There are two
general groups of cassava varieties:
potentially toxic “bitter” varieties that are
used in the producing countries, and safer
“sweet” varieties that are exported and found
in our ethnic markets. Bitter varieties, which
are highly productive crop plants, have
defensive cells that generate bitter cyanide
throughout the root, and must be thoroughly
treated — for example, by shredding,
pressing, and washing — to become safe and
palatable. They’re mainly processed in the
producing countries into flour and tapioca,
small balls of dried cassava starch that
become
pleasantly
jelly-like
when
