How to connect Brazilian history, indigenous legend and Brazilian food? One of the ways to do this is to tell you a little about cassava.
And why talk about cassava? Because it is the third-largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. And because it's always good to bring all subjects to food. Don't you think?
Cassava is an edible root vegetable which has synonyms such as yuca, manioc and tapioca. It is a South American plant commonly used in many cuisines around the world as a staple food. The plant is the most universalized food in indigenous cultures.
Many researchers believe that cassava had its origins in the Tupi tribes (an ethnic group from Brazil).
The origin of the name manioca (cassava) comes from a Tupi legend: a Tupi Indian woman gave birth to a light-skinned girl. She named the girl Mani. But one day Mani died and was buried inside the oca (type of indigenous housing in Brazil). After a few days a plant sprouted, which they called Maniva (cassava leaf).
Its root, which was white on the inside and brown on the outside, was called manioca in honor of the girl, which is a combination of Mani, the girl's name, and oca, the place where she was buried.
When the Portuguese arrived in Brazil around 1500, they noticed the presence of cassava starch flour, as the indigenous people who already inhabited the place ate beiju, a type of flat, round-shaped cake. It didn't take long for the delicacy to fall into the favor of Portuguese ladies, where beiju became the substitute for filhó, which is a Portuguese gastronomic specialty made with wheat flour and eggs.
Beiju is a typically Brazilian delicacy, of indigenous origin and made with tapioca (starch extracted from cassava), which, when spread on a heated plate or frying pan, coagulates and becomes a type of pancake or dry crepe. It is a very popular delicacy in the Northeast and North of Brazil.
Cassava is also gluten-free, rich in fiber, calcium, and many other nutrients essential to the human body. Currently, cassava is present in typical recipes throughout Brazil.
Here is an example of a Brazilian breakfast. We usually eat something salty in the morning. Here I prepared tapioca and colored it with beetroot juice. I made an omelet for the filling and topped it off with lentils sprouted at home.
I think food is a way of connecting past and present, it is a way of understanding why we still do certain things and have certain customs. Do you agree?
And have you ever tried cassava? I highly recommend it, it’s the Brazilian crepe.
Juliana
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