Ellyn
Veteran
This root crop is marvelously starchy. It originated in continental America and has now become a staple food in Africa. While the tuber is low in vitamins (the cassava leaves have more), it's high in calories which make it energy-rich, and it also contains a delicious amount of cyanide.
...Wait, what?
Yes, cyanide. A toxin that can paralyze and kill you. A highly popular poison for political assassins and double agents throughout history!
It seems that most of it is in the skin o the root, however, so all I would need to do if I wanted to work with cassava root is to peel it properly and maybe soak it in water so that the rest of the cyanide seeps out. And then cook it, of course.
I mean... I hope I understood that correctly. All I need to do is peel it, soak the tuber, and boil it until it's soft and edible... right?
What if I add raw cassava root chunks (peeled, of course) to something like a sweet coconut milk porridge? Would traces of cyanide go into the coconut soup instead, so I should boil the cassava in just water and then add the cooked cassava to the coconut milk porridge?
(Actually... the original recipe called for sweet potatoes, maybe that would be better to just use instead. I thought I might not use the correct variety, but the worst that can happen if I use purple yam instead of yellow sweet potato isn't cyanide poisoning!)
...Wait, what?
Yes, cyanide. A toxin that can paralyze and kill you. A highly popular poison for political assassins and double agents throughout history!
It seems that most of it is in the skin o the root, however, so all I would need to do if I wanted to work with cassava root is to peel it properly and maybe soak it in water so that the rest of the cyanide seeps out. And then cook it, of course.
I mean... I hope I understood that correctly. All I need to do is peel it, soak the tuber, and boil it until it's soft and edible... right?
What if I add raw cassava root chunks (peeled, of course) to something like a sweet coconut milk porridge? Would traces of cyanide go into the coconut soup instead, so I should boil the cassava in just water and then add the cooked cassava to the coconut milk porridge?
(Actually... the original recipe called for sweet potatoes, maybe that would be better to just use instead. I thought I might not use the correct variety, but the worst that can happen if I use purple yam instead of yellow sweet potato isn't cyanide poisoning!)
