Yucca not Cassava is Sold in the USA Market

Raw Cassava 

Back home to Indonesia, Cassava either fried or boiled is one of my favorite traditional foods. I often eat as a suffer with a cup of hot tea or coffee in the afternoon while watching TV or read a newspaper. 

Its starchy food like potatoes, and they are both root vegetables. In southern America, cassava could be grilled, mashed and boiled. Delicious food for lunch or dinner. 

When I saw in one of Mexican groceries, the plants (roots) look like a cassava, but the store called it yuca roots. Be careful, the different between “yuca” and “yucca.” Yuca with one “c” is similar to cassava or manioc. The scientific name is the same, Manihot esculenta. 

Yuca (cassava) is edible, while Yucca roots can’t be eaten (inedible) with scientific names Yucca guatemalensis, from Guatemala and Yucca glauca ssp, abundance in California. The different could be seen at below figure:

The different between Yuca and Yucca root (http://benstarr.com) 

The store sold raw cassava with and without skin (peeled cassava). We could find fresh ones with skin. Peeled cassava is sold in form of frozen. There are processing cassava as well. Fried sliced cassava blended with chili is another of my favorite. 

Famous trade flour you might know called tapioca is produced from cassava. The flour is based for making into baked or boiled or gelatinized products. Pie or cake among famous homemade of tapioca flour. 

Cassava getting attention due to its low carbohydrate. Sources of potassium, vitamin C and fiber, thus good for health, especially for diabetes patients.