By Deborah Harder
Much information is available on the cultivation of cassava,
an important tropical staple food. This article will focus on
a less-well-known and underexploited use for cassava; the
versatile flour which can be made from this root crop.
We have heard that there used to be a factory in Belize that
produced cassava flour for sale. Families in Upper Barton
Creek and daughter settlements have been producing cassava
flour for home use for over 40 years. Drying cassava for flour
takes effort, but it's an enjoyable job the whole family can help
with. It's a good way to spend time together while producing
a useful food! Cassava flour can be used successfully to make
pancakes, muffins, cakes, cookies, corn bread and other
quick-rise baked goods. Its by-product, cassava starch, also
has many uses.
To make cassava flour, we dry cassava in the dry season when
we have dependably sunny weather. January and February
are the best months. The mature cassava roots are first
harvested and peeled. To make full use of a sunny day, this job
can be done the day before and the peeled roots left overnight
in tubs, completely covered with water. The next step is to
shred or chop up the roots finely. There would be a variety of
methods for this which would work, but in our communities
it is most commonly done either by using a hand operated
rotary shredder of the type known as Salad Master, or by the
horsepower using the machine designed for chopping sugar
cane for feed. The more finely shredded the cassava is, the
more starch can be extracted. The resulting shredded pulp
is washed in two or three changes of water to wash out the
starch. While cassava can be dried with the starch intact, the
washing process yields a flour which is lighter, with less of
the"rubbery" consistency which whole cassava naturally has.
After the cassava pulp is removed and the water has become
quite starchy from several batches of pulp, it should be left
to set in containers so the starch may settle. Before being set
aside, any settled starch should be stirred up from the bottom
and the water poured through a fine strainer to remove any
remaining shreds of cassava from the water. Starch particles
are extremely fine and will pass through the strainer. When
the water is left to set, after an hour or so there will be a thick
layer of starch at the bottom of the container and the water,
which will be a watery yellow instead of white, can be poured off. The gooey starch at the bottom can be sooped out and
crumbled onto pans to dry in the sun. Once you have worked
with wet starch you will understand how a thing can be both
gooey and crumbly! Starch is indeed a fascinating substance.
As the cassava is washed and squeezed out, it may be spread
on clean sheets of tin to dry in the sun. At least once over the
course of a sunny day it should be stirred around by hand dto
ensure even drying. Drying of starch can be done in one day
but the shredded cassava, squeezed out firmly after washing,
usually requires 2 sunny days. It should be covered at night
with tarps or additional tins. The cassava is sufficiently
dry when it is brittle
instead of flexible.
Dried cassava and
cassava starch should
be stored in tight
containers when
completely dry and
crispy.
The final step is to
grind your dried cassava. We do this with a standard Corona
grinder powered by water, horses, or by hand. Cassava is
softer than any grain and when well dried is easier to dry than
corn, wheat or anything else we grind. If not finely ground
enough it may be sifted before using. The courser siftings
may be used in place of bread-crumbs or rolled oats in recipes
where such things are used as a binder, for example in meat
loaf, casseroles or any patties.
Now you are ready to use your cassava flour. You may try
any of your favorite recipes using cassava flour instead of
white or whole wheat flour. I have found that in general a
thinner batter works better for cassava, so try adding a little
more milk or water than the recipe calls for. A portion of corn
meal, up to one half - in muffins or other quick brads seems
to blend well with cassava, counteracting cassava's "gluey"
nature. Corn tortillas are actually improved by the addition
of cassava flour, half a cup or more per hopper of corn. Since
cassava contains no gluten (an advantage for those with
gluten sensitivity) it cannot be used alone in yeast bread, but
a portion of cassava flour can be successfully added to bread
recipes.
A very acceptable rolled pastry dough, for example for pie
crust, can be made using one part cassava flour, one part
corn meal and one part white flour in your favorite recipe.
Cassava starch, which does not need to be ground, can be used
in place of corn starch or flour as a thickener in stews, gravies
and puddings. Sprinkle it, chunks and all, into boiling fruit
juice or sweetened milk for a tapioca effect. In fact, do you
know where tapioca came from? It is made from our humble
friend, the cassava. How wonderful that God has given us
such a prolific crop that can be used in such a variety of ways!
Let us show our thankfulness by reducing our dependence on
imported white flour products which are costly and so much
less wholesome.
Here are some recipes to get you started; two using cassava
flour and one for a Paraguayan specialty made from cassava
starch called chipas, a tasty little cheese roll.
CARROT COCONUT MUFFINS
2 c grated carrots
2 c cassava flour
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c melted butter
1/2 c orange juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 eggs, beaten
1 c coconut
Mix wet ingredients in bowl; mix dry ingredients separately,
then add. Fold in carrots and coconut. Fill in muffin tins and
bake at 350 degrees for about 20 min.
CORN BREAD
1 c corn meal
1 c cassava flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c fat
1 tsp baking soda
2 c sour milk
Mix wet ingredients in bowl; mix dry ingredients separately,
then add. Pour in hot greased iron skillet and bake at 350 d.
for 30-35 min. This batter may also be fried by spoonfulls in
hot fat to make pancakes.
CHIPAS, A Paraguayan Cheese Roll
1 c oil or lard
1 c milk or whey
2 c shredded cheese
4 eggs
4 tsp salt
Mix these ingredients together and add cassava starch to a
thick pudding consistency. Then add enough corn meal to
make a soft dough. Roll egg sized pieces of dough on a board
to make 1/2" thick ropes. Traditional chipas have the ends
pressed together in little rings but any shape may be formed.
Bake in a very hot oven (400 d or more) till golden and puffy.
The BELIZE AG REPORT