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July 26, 2005 In the last few days I’ve discovered “mandioca”, also known as “yuca”. First of all, I did not realize that, here in Paraguay, these two words are apparently synonymous. I had assumed that “mandioca” means “manioc”, which is also called “cassava” or “tapioca”. In the United States, the only way that I’ve ever seen tapioca marketed is ground, sweetened and packaged in boxes for the preparation of a kind of pudding that I never cared a whit for. The question arose a few times in the back of my mind whether the root was naturally sweet or artificially sweetened, since I knew that tapioca comes from a plant called cassava, cultivated in Africa as an important food crop. It seemed unlikely that anyone would consider tapioca, as I knew it, a staple. The word “yuca” translates not only “manioc, cassava, tapioca” but also “yucca”, a plant usually erroneously called “yucca cactus”, which anyone who has travelled the Southwestern US or anywhere along the whole Pacific coast down to South America will have seen growing in the desert and upon mountain slopes. Yucca is a plant of the family Liliaceae or Agavaceae, depending on the authority you consult, of the order Liliales, an order which includes such plants as lilies, tulips, onions, leeks and garlic. So when I saw the word “yuca” on signs and menus, I assumed that reference was being made to yucca root. But this is not the case. “Mandioca” or “yuca” is a broadleaf plant with a big tuberous root up to the size of a loaf of bread. Its scientific name is Manihot esculenta, of the family Euphorbiaceae of the order Euphorbiales. Thus, manioc is a dicot, while yucca is a monocot, light-years away botanically. Anyway, it makes great food, just like potatoes. You get big, thick, starchy, satisfying slabs, bigger pieces than you get out of any potato. This is no sugary pudding. I wonder why it isn’t more popular in the US. It might be on sale in Hispanic neighbourhoods in the US; I don’t know. This reminds me of the confusion between the words “sweet potato” and “yam”. In the Southern US, these two designations are used synonymously. Of course, sweet potatoes are the potato-like tubers, with sweet, orangish pulp, that, in the US, are usually served on Thanksgiving. I never cared a whit for sweet potatoes either, but I knew that their scientific name was Ipomoea batatas, of the family Convolvulaceae, or the order Solanales, which includes also potatoes, tobacco, tomatoes, bells peppers, morning glories and other plants. I certainly cannot see sweet potatoes as the mainstay of anybody’s diet. I discovered true yams in China, apparently grown in warm, humid South China, but they’re also a major crop in West Africa and elsewhere in the tropics. The word “yam” refers, not to a single species, but to a genus Dioscorea, of the family Dioscoreaceae, once put in the order Liliales, but now regarded as constituting its own order, Dioscoreales. This genus consists of over 750 species. The most common yam in China is Dioscorea oppositifolia, which grows up to four feet long. This also is an eminently edible plant that can be cut into big starchy slabs, actually tastier and more satisfying than potatoes. One can almost subsist on a diet consisting exclusively of yams. I can’t imagine why they are not more widely cultivated in the US. Perhaps they thrive only in warmer climes. If I were a dietitian or nutritionist concerned with dealing with world hunger, I’d certainly advocate proliferation of the cultivation of cassava and yams. They far surpass other, more familiar plants, such as cabbage, carrots, beets, turnips and melons, in food value. I don’t know about cassava, but yams yield over 10,000 tons per square mile, comparing favorably with the yield of potato farms. ------------ About the author Thomas Keyes: I have written two books: A SOJOURN IN ASIA (non-fiction) and A TALE OF UNG (fiction), neither published so far. I have studied languages for years and traveled extensively on five continents. Email: udikeyes@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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