Mandioca

This starchy root, referred to in the States as “cassava” or “yuca,” is called aipim in Rio and the northeastern states of Pernambuco and Bahia, macaxeira in the northeast (the Amazonian states), and mandioca in São Paulo and the southern states. There are several varieties, including one that is toxic. The latter is soaked and cooked to rid it of its poisons. Manioc has been the staff of life among the Brazilian Indians for millennia. The fresh pulp is used for fermented drinks and the making of tapioca. The grain, called farinha de mandioca, is sold both toasted and untoasted and is used in place of flour for Indian-type breads, cuscuz (couscous), stews, purees (pirão), and poultry stuffing. Most often it is warmed and toasted again in a skillet with a little butter or oil, becoming a dish called farofa, to be sprinkled over rice, beans, meat, and fish dishes. Farofa is often enlivened with chopped vegetables and other additives like nuts, olives, and raisins, and appears on every Brazilian table as a side dish in one form or another.