An illustration of a woman filling a tipiti, a plaited cylinder used to squeeze the prussic acid from the grated cassava pulp.

Woman Preparing Cassava

An illustration of a woman filling a tipiti, a plaited cylinder used to squeeze the prussic acid from…

An illustration of a woman sitting on a tipiti. By sitting on the lever the woman is stretching the tipiti causing it to squeeze out the liquid which contains prussic acid.

Woman Preparing Cassava

An illustration of a woman sitting on a tipiti. By sitting on the lever the woman is stretching the…

An illustration of a woman grating mandioca.

Woman with Grater

An illustration of a woman grating mandioca.

The cassava, yuca, manioc, mogo or mandioca (Manihot esculenta) is a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family) native to South America that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates. Cassava is the third largest source of carbohydrates for human food in the world, with Africa its largest center of production. The flour made of the roots is called tapioca.

Yuca

The cassava, yuca, manioc, mogo or mandioca (Manihot esculenta) is a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae…