Talk:Cassava: Difference between revisions

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	So, was that movie total bullshit? I don't see ''anything'' in here that would support this, so was I snowed by my educators 50 years ago? <small>(Wouldn't be the first time.)</small> ] (]) 02:12, 21 May 2012 (UTC)		So, was that movie total bullshit? I don't see ''anything'' in here that would support this, so was I snowed by my educators 50 years ago? <small>(Wouldn't be the first time.)</small> ] (]) 02:12, 21 May 2012 (UTC)

			== Article title ==

			Would it be better to have the article titled Manihot esculenta? Cassava is the single most common name in English (by Google hits), but manioc and yuca together have almost as many hits as cassava. I don't see this as a plant that has a single common name. At this point, Misplaced Pages drives "correct" usage as well; it's hard to quantify the impact, but there may be many pages where the writer chose to use cassava as the common name based on Misplaced Pages's stamp of approval for that name.] (]) 16:12, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

Revision as of 16:12, 28 September 2012

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Two elements

two elements in this article need clarification. First, the claim that it is now extinct in the wild. When did this happen? What is the evidence that this plant used to be wild? Is it possible that this particular species is domesticated (like corn)?

--> "Dicionário das Plantas Úteis do Brasil" (Pio Corrêa) states: (1) there are several wild species of Manihot, (2) that one form of the domesticated plant can be found growing spontaneously in the south of Brazil and in Paraguay, (3) the plant was domesticated before recorded history (pre-Columbian times) by native inhabitants.--Beanmf 14:52, 30 December 2005 (UTC)

The first external link contains an explanation. --Robert Merkel

Second, I do not believe that the plant contains cyanide. I believe it contains a chemical which, when oxidized, converts to prussic acid (or maybe cyanide) -- does someone know for sure? Also, not all varieties contain excessive ammounts of this chemical. That is, there is a difference between sweet and bitter manioc. I am not putting this information into the article myself because I do not know if this is two varieties of the same species, or two species. In any event, the article in its current state is a little misleading. Slrubenstein

--> "Plantas e Substâncias Vegetais Tóxicas e Medicinais" (F.C.Hoehne) states that there is a water-soluble glycoside which releases HCN (hydrogen cyanide or prussic acid). This book may be too old (1930's) to contain modern chemical evidence.--Beanmf 14:52, 30 December 2005 (UTC)

I believe the sweet and bitter are just different cultivars, not species. I've never heard of a cultagen 67.185.72.68 07:25, 17 December 2005 (UTC)a student of cassava

I do not think the first link provides an adequate explanation. Whether it does nor not, an encyclopedia should. The first link does, however, clarify that cassava does not contain cyanide and that not all varieties of cassava require processing; I have fixed this part up, SR

The sweet and bitter are just different cultivars. Some people say there is no wild cassava, but the debate rages. The plant contains linamarin and an some enzymes linamarase and hydroxynitrile lyase. Linamarase hydrolyzes the linamarin, making acetone cyanohydrin. Hydroxynitrile lyase breaks that down into acetone and cyanide. This breakdown occurs spontaneously when the pH is below 5 and the temperature is lower than 35 degrees Celsius, 95 degrees Fahrenheit. (UTC) EWU cassava student Jan 2004 accessed Apr 2005

Filipino tragedy

Reuter announced at 12:47 AM ET of 3/12/05 that the cause of the death of the Filipino children was more likely organophosphate. Rat poisoning was found at the site but organophosphates are used as insecticide so it's unlikely that rat poison was the cause. As a Vietnamese physician who loves to eat cassava, I tend to agree with this presumption because I have never knew any massive poisoning by cassava and even improper preparation of the root would not leave enough linamarin to produce large amount of cyanide to cause the reported acute symptoms.

Thanks for the update. According to news reports at 3/12/05 there is still some uncertainty since the symptoms and facts could be explained by either theory, though the positive response of some of the victims to atropine suggests that you're probably correct. We'll know for sure when test results come in probably later today. --206.183.3.40 12:10, 13 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Update here. Testing confirmed that the Filipino tragedy wasn't due to wasn't cyanide from the cassava. It was due to pesticide. (That's pesticide that somehow ended up directly mixed into the food, rather than pesticide applied to a crop.) Singkong2005 05:01, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

Indonesian fermented cassava

I added a paragraph on Indonesian uses. Question is, does tape deserve its own article? If so I can translate the recipe from the Indo wiki article. Singkong2005 05:59, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

Suggested changes

The current text reads "may be called the "potato of the tropics". All known species and varieties are cultigens." Potatoes are already tropical in origin (Peru), so calling manioc the potato of the tropics only confuses the information; I suggest that this statement be eliminated. All known species of the species M.esculenta? It might be better to say that while there are several wild Manihot species, all varieties of M. Esculenta are cultigens. I have made these edits.--Beanmf 15:06, 30 December 2005 (UTC)

Can anyone help align the Processing to the left please?

Thanks for the changes. Indeed, "the potato of the tropics" sounds like the "the American Elvis" 8-) I have reordered the text (the head parag had become too heavy) and merged your text on flour processing with the existing parag; see if it is OK. All the best, Jorge Stolfi 17:06, 30 December 2005 (UTC)

Possible featured article nomination

This article is good. Have you considered a featured article nomination? I would do it, but I'm not willing to take on the responsibility of "making good-faith effort to address objections that are raised".

The article needs a lot of work. Cassava has major potential to spark rural development. Aside from being human foodstuff, such uses as animal feed and industrial starch may be expanded through research and public-private partnerships. Cassava is a poor source of protein, especially compared to rice, and much protein is lost by peeling, but its protein quality is fairly good. What protein source would ideally complement cassava (i.e., provide methionine) in regions where other sources of calories are hard to come by? Cassava root is a useful dietary source of calcium and phosphorus. Raw cassava root contains vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin and nicotinic acid, but the extensive processing usually required for human consumption destroys much of this vitamin content. Use of cultivars with low levels of the cyanogenic glycosides linamarin and lotaustralin may make less processing safe, enable better use of the leaves (they are high in vitamin A) and increase use of cassava for animal feed, particularly poultry. However, what is the latest word on the long-term toxicity of low levels of HCN in animals, in humans and in the developing fetus? Marketing to the developed world can be enhanced by developing attractive food products aside from "tapioca". I'm not clear on whether cassava could be a good source of fibre, and non-digestible starch, prehaps with pro-biotic properties that could gain favor in diets for health-conscious consumers. We need some expert input here and broader perspective to make this a featured article, but cassava itself certainly deserves such honor. Myron 12:40, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

Excessivie wikification

Designation of certain wikilinks as "excessive" and removing them calls for explanation. I thought that everything possible gets wikified on its first appearance in a article so that an inquisitive visitor would be helped in clarifying uncertainty, in taking a quick glance at something not well-known or understood and in exploring novel topics. That certainly works for me as I read Wiki articles. Lots of articles have links when units of measure are introduced (as in mm or cm)... why make Cassava and exception? I'll revert if no timely justification is presented. Myron 18:12, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

Pre-Columbian cassava usage

The following text of the pre-columbian section reads:

was peeled, grated into flour and made into pancakes. Bitter varieties were detoxified by peeling and grating the root, straining the flour, then washing or boiling for 4-8 hours. The boiled cassava could be diluted to produce a drink called caxiri. Caxiri was often left to ferment for several days and even months. Alternatively, chewing and fermentation of cassava gruel produced cauim, a mild alcoholic beverage, which was consumed in vast quantities at parties and ceremonies. These practices are still current in many indian tribes.

I suspect that some of the information above is specific to the indigenous peoples of Brazil, perhaps only of certain regions. What was the general picture for the Americas? Where was Cassava cultivated? Were there regional variations in processing methods, dishes, drinks, etc?

Also, is caxiri a distinct beverage from cauim? The description sounds different (according to y sources, for cauim the root was cooked without grating, then chewed to add saliva enzymes, left to stand, then cooked, fermented, etc. Caxiri seems to be just cassava flour diluted in water.

Also, ist the bit about fermented caxiri correct? I thought that, without chewing, fermentation of cassava would just spoil it without producing ethanol.

All the best, Jorge Stolfi 04:13, 5 March 2006 (UTC)

Chicha

I see that someone changed the statement that Cassava is used along with beer in Peru to say that it is used along with chicha, which I know from nothing. Can someone verify this change? --Slashme 08:17, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Chicha is basically a type of beer. -THB

As an anthropology student in Puerto Rico at the Interamerican University, 1970-71, I spent time in Suriname on the Wayana? River among the Indians who lived on the Suriname side of the river between French Guiana and Suriname. The women planted and cultivated the cassava, which was my project. with regard to the processing of caxiri (the name that people used for the cassava "beer"), the manioc was harvested, peeled and grated, then placed in four foot long "socks" made of basketwoven palm leaves which were open on the top and came to a point on the bottom. The raw masa was packed into the squeezer and a heavy rock placed on a board which fit into a loop at the end of the palm basket, which provided enough consistent pressure to squeeze the juice from the cassava, which was collected in metal bowls to the best of my recollection. The raw damp flour was then spread evenly, about 2-3 inches thick upon a huge metal round plate (3-4 feet diameter) over a low fire and baked for hours, I believe, until it was quite dry on the outside and somewhat desiccated. This we ate with soup/stew made from hunted boar, or monkey! The collected juice was cooked in a large cauldron which was then left to ferment. The final beer caxiri, was a bit sour but not unpleasant, and had a mild alcohol content. If any one isinterested, I would very much like to discuss the above and more experiences in coastal south america, andthe culture of the people there.Polly.ducey (talk) 01:36, 2 February 2008 (UTC)Polly Ducey

Hi Pollux,

Very interesting stuff! Did your observations ever get published? --Slashme (talk) 05:49, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Origin of Cassava

Your introduction to the History of Cassava tells us that Cassava Originated in South America! However, we in Africa, having our indignous name to this plant (in Bete i.e. the Obudu area, it is called Ulogo) and still having several wild specie relatives of Cassava in the Cross-River State area, in Nigeria. We think that it is more reasonable to assume that being a tropical plant, this plant must have grown in most tropical areas of its own accord. How then could it have originated in South America? Could it be that several different specicies of this plant were originally local to different parts of the World? hmmm....

Anon, the origins of Cassava/Yuca/Manioc are well established in botanics. These wild varieties in Africa are probably just transplants that flourished in the wild. In South America we have no shortage of banana and coconut trees in the "wild", but none of those were there before the Europeans brought them from Asia. Afc (talk) 05:04, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

Different Languages?

Is it necessary to list all these other languages? I was about to add the dutch name, but then I asked myself what the added value was for the English Misplaced Pages. I can understand adding yuca and manioc (which ar used in some English speaking countries), but why add the French and German name or the Haitian? Links to the other language wiki's should be enough, no?HichamVanborm 15:15, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Maybe I'm not a typical user, but I was pleased to see the various translations as I was compiling a terminological record for this term. UrsusMaximus 12:21, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

I also found it very useful, since it is prevalent in many Caribbean islands, which have French, Dutch, and Spanish histories. Interestingly, no mention of where the word "cassava" comes from, since the Guarani (indigenous) word is closer to "manioc" I wonder why cassava became common usage. Jtone 16:16, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

Cassava is derived from the Taino name for it. There isn't just ONE indigenous name. Yuca is derived from Carib. The Spanish encountered Taino/Carib speakers before Guarani and those names passed into English. Carib IS a language in the Tupi-Guarani language family, so it is curious why the word yuca is so different from manioc. Perhaps (speculating) the different words in Tupi-Guarani referred to different things: the root, the plant itself, or a common dish made from the root (just as in modern English, tapioca refers to a particular dish made from this plant, not the root or the whole plant).Plantdrew (talk) 15:51, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

While cassava is not a common word for Americans, other languages are useful only if what the page is about is from another language. If it's a Japanese television show, the Japanese name should be there. If it's a French food, the French name should be there. Translations into non-related languages are not needed. They can be found on the side menu. 24.21.209.135 11:58, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

I think that discussion of alternative names is useful when they are in common culinary usage. I first ate cassava under the name of mogo (in fact, I wasn't aware that they were the same thing until several years later). Wedges of deep-fried cassava are served as mogo chips, often with tamarind sauce, in many of the Gujarati restaurants and take-aways in Leicester (where I grew up).Robhogg (talk) 15:02, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I am going to take this paragraph out and move the translations to http://en.wiktionary.org/Cassava, where it should be. --babbage 00:44, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Processing section pertaining to toxicity

The article states that one cannot eat manioc raw due to the presence of cyanogenic glucosides which convert to cyanide. While this may make it inadvisable and hazardous to eat manioc raw, it is not impossible. In certain countries in Africa it is eaten raw often, as a snack, with no side affects that could be discerned. This part should be changed, even if it is a little semantic, because it is nonetheless quite possible to eat manioc raw. Oneanddone 19:18, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

My survey crews in Tanzania and Zambia regularly eat cassava raw, as a snack, as do their families, neighbours etc 193.219.250.3 19:18, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

I and countless other eat heaps of raw cassava root, and even its green leaves with other greens as accompanying salad for the daily meals back in VN, with no effects whatsoever (I am still here, decades later!). Unless the cassava the author(s) written about in the Wiki is a particular poisonous mutant, I don't know what they are talking about...Perhaps we poor folk tolerate poisons better than those writers/researchers! Skepticus (talk) 14:27, 8 November 2008 (UTC) I agree with the above participant that you can eat cassava fresh from the cut stem. But what we use to do, that they are not explaining is that you had to cut off the inner root tube. That is the part that contains all the problems for the cassava. After harvesting we cut open the root remove the inner root and boil or eat raw. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.255.218.250 (talk) 13:21, 12 March 2009 (UTC)

I agree with the above participant that you can eat cassava fresh from the cut stem. But what we use to do, that they are not explaining is that you had to cut off the inner root tube. That is the part that contains all the problems for the cassava. After harvesting we cut open the root remove the inner root and boil or eat raw. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.255.218.250 (talk) 13:24, 12 March 2009 (UTC)

I also agree with the above participant,yes it is possible to eat raw cassava but the inner root as it is first peeled.However note that according to certain researchers, once the tubers are separated from the main plant. The tubers, when damaged, normally respond with a healing mechanism. However, the same mechanism, which involves coumaric acids, initiates about 15 minutes after damage, and fails to switch off in harvested tubers. It continues until the entire tuber is oxidised and blackened within two to three days after harvest, rendering it unpalatable and useless.thus this concurs that there are are no major side effects when eaten immediately after harvest. Galaxydust —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.88.122.130 (talk) 10:03, 19 March 2010 (UTC)

I posted in the wrong section sorry-

Hi, can you please supply a citation for the statement that the method described in the article listed as citation # 27 was used in the Prehistoric America? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Xoconusco (talk • contribs) 23:45, 3 January 2011 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Xoconusco (talk • contribs)

Usage in India

The article mentiones that (a) tapioca processing plants are called "Sago" factories and (b) that the local name is "sabu dana". I think this is in error. Although the words "Tapioca" and "sago" are used interchangeably in India, they come from different sources. I believe tapioca comes from the cassava tuber (as it correctly states in this article) BUT sabu dana (used in Indian cooking in pearl grain form) comes from the pith of the sago plant. Therefore, although the tapioca processing plants may be called "Sago factories" in the local vernacular, the local name is NOT "sabu dana" since that is used for the sago grains used in recipes like "sabu dana khichdi" and "sabu dana kheer" consumed by people undertaking "Ekadashi fast". Vai 09:59, 28 April 2007 (UTC) Gokhalevai

Bioethanol

A friend of mine from South Korea is currently working in Indonesia. She told me she is working on a bioethonal project (where the bioethonal is made from cassava) in Indonesia. I am not a wiki editor, but I think it's worth noting. A search for Bioethonal, indonesia, and cassava will bring up many results that could be used as sources. 24.21.209.135 11:50, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Use in ethanol is growing- China is now funding some small scale cassava ethanol plants. See http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2229852/bio-ethanol-plant-open-china . This is significant in that if cassava proves successful in ethanol production at large scales, it could prove valuable around the world for alternative energy. ~~

Usages and Dishes in Other countries not mentioned

I am adding that in Panama cassava, which is known as Yuca, are made into fried fritters similar to Empanadas called "Carimañoles". In the Philippines there is a sweet cake called "Cassava Bibingka". Hopefully more is added to this section. User:Wellsjamesd 21:04, 8 July 2007

Native to...

I see an anon. editor changed "native to South America and Sub-Saharan Africa" to "native to South America". Can someone please clarify the situation? --Slashme (talk) 11:08, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

I have changed it once again; cassava is native to South America only... it is widely distributed in the tropics, including in Sub-Saharan Africa. I hope this is not changed again, since it is an indisputable information. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.124.246.255 (talk) 20:50, 24 July 2009 (UTC)

MANIOC

--71.137.255.93 (talk) 04:34, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Cassava uses in The Bahamas

I am 47 years old and have live in The Bahamas all of my life. I have lived in three of the islands and have travelled to all but four of the islands. No where in The Bahamas have I ever come across the practice by Bahamians of rubbing cassava "all over the body to provide nutrients to the over exposed skin" as stated in this article. No-one I have asked since reading it knows of this practice either. Tourism is the main industry of my country; perhaps the writer of the article came upon a sun-burned tourist rubbing cassava all over his skin?????

In The Bahamas, cassava is eaten boiled, either alone or with sweet potatoes, cabbage, plantains, and meat. OR it is cooked in soups with okra or with dumplings. It is also baked into a delicious "cassava bread."

I am not certain, but I believe in the past, it may have been made into flour as well..... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.75.73.8 (talk) 12:38, 1 October 2008 (UTC)

Clarification RE: Toxicity.

I just bought two good size cassava roots at Whole Foods with the intention of bringing something novel and exotic to my family's Easter dinner tomorrow. Though I love to cook with plantains, yams, sweet potatoes, and of course potatoes, cassava is new to me and so I decided to use wikipedia as a starting point to get an overview of its uses throughout the world before I went looking for actual recipes. To get to the point, this article is far, far too vague when it comes to the safety of consuming this food. I was vaguely aware that it had the potential to be poisonous, but that if eaten at the right time and/or prepared the right way (you know, like with potatoes) was perfectly safe and healthy. However in light of some of the statements made in this article I found it hard to believe that this is what I had just purchased at a well respected, health and environmentally-focused multi-national supermarket chain, without so much as a consumer advisory label. For instance:

One dose of pure cassava cyanogenic glucoside (40 mg) is sufficient to kill a cow.

Just...holy shit. This made me want to read on for clarification, needless to say.

Societies which traditionally eat cassava generally understand that soaking and/or cooking is necessary to avoid getting sick.

Generally? You'd think it would be pretty universal by now. What does it mean by "soaking"? Soaking in what and for how long? Same story with cooking, are there particular cooking methods that are more or less safe than others, and how does one know it's been cooked sufficiently? Lastly, "getting sick"? You just told me a single serving of it can kill a cow, and yet a 5'2, 7 stone Amazonian Indian will merely get sick?

For some smaller-rooted "sweet" varieties, cooking is sufficient to eliminate all toxicity.

So now cooking is only sufficient for "some" of the smaller, less poisonous varieties? The ones I bought are definitely on the larger side, does this mean my tentative plans to fry them will have to be eschewed in favor of drying, pulverizing, and then "mixing the flour with water into a thick paste and then letting it stand in the shade for five hours in a thin layer spread over a basket"? Christ, in Massachusetts in early April there is neither the sunshine nor the leafy tree branches required to produce this shade of which you speak. And then, of course, the mortally poisonous leaves and bitter roots are used to treat a variety of respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments; I assume this means you still die, but are spared the fate of having your last minutes on earth marred by headache and diarrhea?

This is an article about a food that's the dietary staple of a huge percentage of the earth's population, and therefore it deserves to be comparable in quality to the wheat or maize articles. As it stands I think it's reasonable to assume that the average cassava-virgin Westerner would rather not take their chances with it after reading this article. Unfortunately I'm no expert on the subject so I can't do much to improve it beyond simply pointing out its unacceptable shortcomings. But someone with the proper background seriously needs to streamline the content and sources, keep the facts consistent, and not leave the reader afraid to try cassava. When it comes to articles on food, wouldn't one think the most basic information to be imparted should be the food in question's toxicity or lack thereof? Wormwoodpoppies (talk) 22:59, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

Articles on poisonous stuff should err on the safe side, of course. Raw potatoes are pretty toxic too (but from other chemicals), and ditto for many medicinal plants (if one exceeds the safe dosage or prepares them in the wrong way). I will let agricultural experts opinate on whether the cassava you bought is of the "bitter" (unlikely) or "sweet" variety. ("Large" for cassava means 2 feet long or more, 10 cm thick or more.) Anyway, speaking strictly from the gastronomical viewpoint, cassava cannot be fried directly in the raw state. It should be boiled first until it is semisoft and translucent, like boiled potatoes or cooked pasta. By that time (as with potatoes) any toxicity is long gone.
However, I wonder whether the experiment is worth trying. Cassava roots spoil too quickly to be exported, they must be consumed or processed within a couple of days from harvest at most. When I was in the US, the local supermarket occsionaly would put up a handful of cassava roots. They were always well beyond their shelf life, fit only for the trash bin. Even if your roots were fresh at the market, by the time you finish reading all the literature they may not be good any more.
Methinks that the best way to taste cassava dishes, safety- and palate-wise, is to travel to a tropical country. All the best, --Jorge Stolfi (talk) 13:13, 11 May 2009 (UTC)

The Wiki article on cassava didn't fully answer my question about how it should be prepared for safe use, so I searched around and came up with a report published by the United Nations that gave significant information on toxicity and safe preparation. I have now added the info to this entry.
It would be most useful if the tables given in the UN report could be added to the Wiki article. These tables compare the various methods used to process cassava, showing which methods work and which leave too much cyanide behind. Tables 7.1-7.3 can be found here: http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0207e/T0207E08.htm#Cassava%20toxicity.
The first page of the UN document gives copyright information, but seems to contradict itself, stating first that prior permission is needed, but then adding "Data contained in this database or software may, however, be used freely provided that the FAO and INPhO be cited as the source." Does that mean that their Tables can be used freely if properly cited? Below is the copyright info.
Will someone please follow up on this?
Thanks! Reverence Still (talk) 19:16, 25 June 2011 (UTC)
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Bitter (poisonous) cassava isn't sold in the US. Anything you buy in a market here is safe to eat without further processing. I'm not sure that bitter cassava is even marketed much in South America or Africa. Mostly, bitter cassava is used by subsistence farmers who process and eat it themselves. Sweet (non-poisonous) cassava is widely available in markets in South America, but I've never seen bitter cassava for sale.Plantdrew (talk) 15:55, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

Cassava in Book

I read a autobiography named A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, and in it he had to survive on raw cassava. Today he is quite healthy and combating the use of child soldiers. The book doesn't give any mention of any poisoning. Does anyone have any explanation of this? --Pooja13 (talk) 22:19, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

it gives u aids —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.107.216.133 (talk) 02:45, 9 September 2009 (UTC)

I posted in the wrong section sorry-

third largest source of carbohydrates for human food

I believe the line "Cassava is the third largest source of carbohydrates for human food in the world" is inaccurate and needs to be taken out. I could find no research to back this up. Some net sources quote the wikipedia quote, but no original facts.

The closest fact that I could find was:

"Root crops, or as often described, roots and tubers, are the third largest carbohydrate food sources, although well behind cereals and sugar cane in total tons produced (see Figure 1). The major contributors to root crops are potatoes, cassava (manioc), yams, sweet potatoes and taro."

From: "Global trends in production and consumption of carbohydrate foods" published by Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.

The order of carbohydrate consumption that I have been able to determine is: corn, wheat, rice, sugars (cane, beet, corn syrup), potato, and then cassava.

Pdworkman (talk) 02:34, 9 October 2009 (UTC)

The claim that cassava is the third largest source of carbohydrates in the world, is sourced only from a technical paper by a scientist who is a cassava expert and probably knows nothing about other crops. Its a throw-away line in the introduction of his paper. The annual production of rice, maize and wheat each exceeds the production of cassava by a factor of at least four. Sugar, barley and potatoes also appear to have larger production than cassava. That would relegate cassava to at least seventh place.Eregli bob (talk) 03:33, 18 September 2011 (UTC)

Distribution

I can't find anything in the article stating how it spread around the world. From what I can gather, it is native to South America but now very common in Africa. How did it get there? Through the Spainish and Portugese, I assume? Calistemon (talk) 12:54, 7 November 2010 (UTC)

Merge request

I have found an article on tapioca which, to my knowledge, is the same plant as cassava (and the photo of the roots, which is included in both articles, seems to confirm this). Could that article be merged into this one? GabiAPF (talk) 18:27, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Is this the place to say that I agree with the merge? The two articles are about the very same thing.--Helo 21:27, 21 January 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Paith (talk • contribs)

Oppose - A combined article would be too large, besides the fact that Tapioca is a standalone topic. VMS Mosaic (talk) 04:45, 16 September 2011 (UTC)

If not a direct merge, then a clean up is required in Tapioca article. The article begins with "Tapioca is a starch extracted from the root of plant species Manihot esculenta". But later in the article the term term Tapioca is used in the same meaning as that of Cassava in many places.
Anish Viswa 05:14, 16 September 2011 (UTC)

Oppose - Tapioca is a standalone topic; however the article could stand to be cleaned up. -- nsaum75 04:31, 4 October 2011 (UTC)
Oppose - Cassava and Tapioca should be separate topics, for the same reason as Wheat and Flour are and should be separate topics. Tapoica is a product of cassava, much like flour is a product of wheat. Perhaps the article on tapioca should be revised to better reflect this. ApostleVonColorado (talk) 02:23, 24 November 2011 (UTC)
Oppose - Agree with my 'half-brother' in name AvC.:) There is also this garri stuff which is another name for the fermented version of tapioca. It should also stay as it is. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Apostolos Margaritis (talk) 13:03, 3 December 2011 (UTC)
Oppose for all the given reasons. I'm going to remove the merge tag, as I see no support here for doing so. Pseudofusulina (talk) 20:14, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Comparison to other major staple foods

This table includes a wheat column, but the data appears to be for wheat germ. This same table has been copied into several articles (see my contribs for some others I tagged). I suggest that all the data be verified and then make the table into a separate page which can be transcluded into this and the other articles. Sparkie82 (t•c) 00:20, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

Use as a weapon

When I was a kid (1960s), we were shown a movie in which Amazonian natives took cassava pulp and squeezed and twisted it in what look a bit like a Chinese finger puzzle, causing the liquid to be extracted. The liquid was caught in a bowl, and then was used on arrow tips, though I don't remember if it was for hunting or for battle against enemies.

So, was that movie total bullshit? I don't see anything in here that would support this, so was I snowed by my educators 50 years ago? (Wouldn't be the first time.) 98.71.223.130 (talk) 02:12, 21 May 2012 (UTC)

Article title

Would it be better to have the article titled Manihot esculenta? Cassava is the single most common name in English (by Google hits), but manioc and yuca together have almost as many hits as cassava. I don't see this as a plant that has a single common name. At this point, Misplaced Pages drives "correct" usage as well; it's hard to quantify the impact, but there may be many pages where the writer chose to use cassava as the common name based on Misplaced Pages's stamp of approval for that name.Plantdrew (talk) 16:12, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

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