Making Cassava Bread!

Cassava (Manihot esculenta), also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family) native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates. Nigeria is the world's largest producer of cassava.

Cassava Leaves
A manioc tuber

_________________________________________________________________ This afternoon the girls asked me  if I wanted to learn how to make Cassava Bread!  "YES!!!" The Cassava had already been grated  and was ready to use.   First I watched, then Susy stood by  and very carefully told me what to do,  BUT she didn't do it,  she let me do the whole thing!  The fire was HOT HOT HOT.  I tied up my skirt because I was afraid that  the fire would catch the fabric. I put the grated Cassava in a small pile on top  of the hot TAWA.

You use a fan (which is made of woven vines)  to smooth the Grated Cassava into a circle in the middle of the "Tawa".  As the Cassava Bread cooks,  you take the knife and turn the edges inward. Then you get ready to FLIP it!  The fire is HOT HOT HOT the Cassava Bread feels as though it will break... I screamed as I flipped it! We all LAUGHED!  BUT I DID IT! And then you let them dry in the sun! Each day, I learn something new! Last night, we served my very first Cassava Bread with our Rum Punch! It was So Good!

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