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Vegetables

Cassava root

Manihot esculentaAlso called cassava, cassava tuber, yuca and manioc

Cassava root is a vegetable with a firm texture when raw. Cooks boil, simmer, or ferment it and pair it with palm oil.

  • Plant-based
  • Gluten-free
  • No listed allergens

About the plain ingredient, not packaged products; general information, not medical advice. Details

Category
Vegetables
Part used
Root
Family
Euphorbiaceae
Texture
Firm
Cooked most in
Asia, Africa, The Americas
Top country
Indonesia
Cassava root, whole

Photo: David Monniaux · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In the kitchen

How to use cassava root

Typical ways to cook or use it

  • Boil simmer
  • Ferment

Preparing it

One West African method peels the roots and ferments them in water for three days.

Goes well with

Flavour

Taste and texture

Texture

  • Firm

Texture, raw

  • Firm

Nutrition

What 100 g of cassava root holds

Per 100 g, raw. Averages from USDA; real values vary by variety, season and growing conditions.

Protein 3%Fat 1%Carbohydrate 96%of the macronutrients by weight

Nutrition per 100 g of cassava root, raw
Energy160 kcal · 667 kJ
Protein1.4 g
Fat0.28 g
of which saturated0.07 g
Carbohydrate38 g
of which sugars1.7 g
Fibre1.8 g
Sodium14 mg
Cholesterol0 mg
Nutrition per 100 g of cassava root, raw: minerals and vitamins
Potassium271 mg
Calcium16 mg
Iron0.27 mg
Magnesium21 mg
Zinc0.34 mg
Vitamin C21 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)1 µg
Folate27 µg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (food 169985), public domain. Minerals and vitamins are listed only where USDA measured a non-zero amount.

Around the world

Where cassava root is cooked

36 dishes in the catalogue use cassava root. Here is where they come from.

Dishes by continent

Countries whose dishes use it most

Counts are catalogued dishes from each country that list cassava root among their ingredients.

Origins

Native to
South America, Brazil, Paraguay

  1. 1492 · Americas and Caribbean

    By European contact, cassava was a staple among several Indigenous populations in the Americas.

  2. The 1500s · Brazil and Africa

    Portuguese traders brought cassava from Brazil to Africa.

  3. About 1850 · Eastern Africa

    Arab and European settlers introduced cassava to East Africa and encouraged its cultivation.

  4. About 1850 · Eastern Africa

    Arab and European settlers introduced cassava to East Africa.

On the table

Dishes made with cassava root

32 of the 36 catalogued dishes that use it, spread across the countries they come from.

  • Urap

    Indonesia

  • Calulu and Funge

    Angola

  • Sahoaba

    Madagascar

  • Abacha Ugba

    Nigeria

  • Fufu

    Ghana

  • Bawin sauce

    Côte d’Ivoire

  • Cassava chips

    Brazil, Indonesia

  • Jruek Drien

    Indonesia

  • Bobozee

    Nigeria

  • Mageli

    Indonesia

  • Bẹju

    Nigeria

  • Pais

    Indonesia

  • Garri

    Nigeria

  • Putri noong

    Indonesia

  • Lafun

    Nigeria

  • Cenil

    Indonesia

  • Usi

    Nigeria

  • Lentho

    Indonesia

  • Tetal

    Indonesia

  • Buah jingah

    Indonesia

  • Katemak

    Indonesia

  • Lapek sagan

    Indonesia

  • Karak kaliang

    Indonesia

  • Tapai singkong

    Indonesia

  • Combro

    Indonesia

  • Gatot

    Indonesia

  • Getuk kicak

    Indonesia

  • Klenyem

    Indonesia

  • Gowi nitutu

    Indonesia

  • Kasuami

    Indonesia

  • Tiwul

    Indonesia

  • Steamed cassava

Dish lists come from Wikidata; a dish counts when its recorded ingredients include cassava root.

Good to know

Diet and allergens: cassava root in detail

These notes describe the plain ingredient. Packaged and prepared products vary, so read the label; for allergies and medical diets ask a doctor or dietitian.
Allergens
None of the 15 listed allergens foundChecked and not found: soy, eggs, fish, milk, lupin, wheat, celery, sesame, mustard, peanuts, molluscs, sulphites, tree nuts, crustaceans, gluten cereals.
Animal origin
No animal ingredients foundChecked and not found: egg, fish, meat, dairy, honey, insect, gelatin, poultry, bone char, shellfish, other animal, animal fining, animal rennet.
Gluten
None
Alcohol
None
Caffeine
None
Pork
None

Family

Related forms

Made from it
cassava flour (ground), garri (fermented), tapioca (extracted)

Cooked together

Ingredients that go into the same catalogued dishes.
Photo credits for this page (12)

Around the world

What cassava root is called

Names in 54 languages, from Wikidata.

  • Spanish

    raíz de yuca · mandioca · yuca

  • French

    racine de manioc · manioc

  • Portuguese

    raiz de mandioca · raiz da macaxeira · raiz do aipim · mandioca

  • German

    Maniokwurzel

  • Hebrew

    שורש קסאווה

  • Japanese

    キャッサバの根 · キャッサヴァの根

  • Indonesian

    singkong · ubi kayu · ketela pohon

  • Hausa

    rogo

  • Aghem

    luŋkwū · kwuluŋ

  • Akan

    cassava root · cassava · cassava tuber · yuca

  • Akan

    cassava root · cassava` · cassava tuber · yuca

  • bag

    muu

Show all 54 languages

  • Basaa

    mbon

  • Belarusian (Taraskievica orthography)

    касава · маніёк · юка

  • bkc

    ɓoma

  • bkh

    rikwamba

  • Brazilian Portuguese

    raiz de mandioca · mandioca

  • Catalan

    iuca

  • dag

    banchi nyuli · banchi

  • Duala

    dikwamba

  • eto

    m̀mùŋ

  • etu

    igwá

  • Ewondo

    mboŋ

  • fmp

    shʉαsom

  • Frafra

    Banki

  • Galician

    raíz da mandioca

  • Ganda

    Muwogo

  • Gbaya

    geda

  • Ghomala

    cyəsə̀m

  • gpe

    cassava root · cassava · cassava tuber · yuca

  • Igbo

    Akpu

  • isu

    légó

  • Javanese

    pohong · ganyong · pugung

  • ker

    adawa dә kәbaŋ

  • Kom

    ndòŋ ìghàŋ

  • Kwasio

    mpingá

  • lem

    ɛmbɔŋɔ

  • lns

    mbù'làm

  • Madurese

    Sabbhrâng

  • Malagasy

    mahôgo

  • Malayalam

    കപ്പ · പൂള · മരച്ചീനി · കൊള്ളി

  • mcp

    ”kidyán"

  • Medumba

    kàsinga · sʉ̀mbʉ̀n

  • Mundang

    mbai

  • Ngiemboon

    kasála

  • Norwegian Nynorsk

    maniokrot

  • Slovenian

    korenina manioke

  • tvu

    sasɔma

  • Ukrainian

    корінь маніоку

  • vut

    kúkúm

  • wes

    cassava

  • Yangben

    mbuŋɛ

  • yas

    mmoŋga

  • yat

    Kɛsaasom

  • Yemba

    akeséla

Photos

More photos of cassava root

Sources and credits

Data

Wikidata item: Q43304555

Photos

Photo: David Monniaux · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Vis M · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Evil Jess · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Komavo · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons