This one is truly farm fresh from digging in the dirt to the dining room table! This morning, Gnome dug up 5kgs (10lbs) of cassava on our farm (about 3 plants only) and afterwards we both set about to wash and peel our freshly acquired roots.
Washed Cassava.Cleaned and Peeled Cassava.
Next, we grated the cassava. This was done by hand and this part took the longest length of time (about 2 hours).
Grated Cassava.
We then washed the grated cassava once with water to remove some of the starch. The washed water was retained so that the starch (tapioca) could be obtained from it.
Next, we took the remaining grated root and reserved cassava water and laid them all out in the sun to dry. This is to make dehydrated fufu which is an African/ Caribbean preparation of cassava in which the vegetable is boiled and then pounded with a large wooden mortar and pestle to make a dough-like food. Traditionally fufu is eaten with soups.
So, out of our harvest of 10lbs of cassava, we obtained: 2lbs of sun-dried fufu and 2lbs of tapioca flour. Not to mention a snack of Cassava Hash Browns!
Jar of FuFu. The Finished Product!
Gnome said that today was a good lesson on realising the time and energy required in processing food from harvest to finished produce.
This article is mainly aimed for the reader in Belize who thinks that it is so difficult to find something yummy and convenient to make. Here in Belize (at least in the Southern Region), the Garifuna people make cassava bread which is a flattened, unleavened bread which they traditionally eat with fish. It is not even something that is found on eating out and in fact, to get your paws on traditionally made cassava bread, you really have to befriend a Garifuna, stay in their village, and then you may be fortunate enough to have some of this cuisine. Traditionally, cassava bread in Belize, is made manually and this involves a long, intensive process of grating cassava by hand (lots and lots of it…sacks and sacks), a system of poles and tree limbs (even with women standing on poles) and the eventual flattening and cooking of the bread on comals. This is a project which my partner and I have long held off since it is a lot of work and you need people power.
Shop-bought Cassava Bread in Punta Gorda.
So, you will realise my glee and absolute wonder to discover shop-bought Cassava Bread here in Punta Gorda, Toledo, Belize! It is found in all the Chinese Supermarkets sold at approximately $6.75 Bz for just under a pound. If you understand the effort and sheer man-power required in this bread, it is a snap at this price. A quick look at Amazon.com shows that our international readers can buy cassava bread on-line (mostly imported from French Caribbean countries) if they are interested in trying out my suggestions.
Cassava Bread is sold in square packets and when you open up the pack, you will notice that they are scored into smaller squares. Ideally, you should be able to snap off these portions but I have found that, with its bendy-like consistency, it is actually easier to cut the squares out with scissors.
Here are some pictures of serving suggestions for shop-bought cassava bread. You can basically use it as a base for hors d’oeuvres…with a difference since it is cassava bread. Think of some important people paying you an impromptu visit in Belize and you whip this up in 5 minutes for them! Its not your ubiquitous cracker…it is cassava bread, indigenous to Belize and it is also gluten-free. I have used it also as a pizza base and as a quick snack. The possibilities are endless.
Cassava Bread Hors D’oeuvre with Tuna, Tomato, Olives and Basil.
Cassava Bread Snack with Mozzarella and Onions.
The cassava bread can be eaten straight out of the packet or if you want to crisp it up a bit, it can placed in the oven for about 5 minutes. This bread is a great discovery for me because it is only made with raw materials and no additives. Since its original use was as a preservation method for cassava, you can stash lots of this at home as emergency food or for the impromptu visitor.
This one is truly farm fresh from digging in the dirt to the dining room table! This morning, Gnome dug up 5kgs (10lbs) of cassava on our farm (about 3 plants only) and afterwards we both set about to wash and peel our freshly acquired roots.
