History and Lore

As the only member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) that provides food, yuca, also commonly known as cassava or manioc, is an herbaceous perennial whose starch-rich tuberous root is one of the most important food crops in the tropics. Many scholars agree that the first wild forms of yuca were found and cultivated in west-central Brazil more than three thousand years ago. Others insist it was growing in Mexico as early as 2500 B.C., suggesting that there may be two regions of origin. By around 200 B.C., yuca had become a staple food of native populations throughout much of the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.