Yucca Recipes & Cassava Root Recipes
Try A Yucca Recipe & Eat Something New!
This is the page if you’re looking for yucca recipes! Yucca root recipes are not easy to find and that relates primarily to the fact that yucca is not the most popular ingredient. With a little advice, though, you can start making tasty yucca dishes and discover what a nice vegetable it is.
Yucca vs Yuca
Yucca (pronounced yuh-kah) is a plant that grows in the deserts of Mexico and the southwestern United States. They are longstanding support systems for the Native Americans and ranchers, who ate yucca themselves and fed it to their cattle in times of drought. The root is soapy, making this yucca root no good for eating.
Yucca is not the same as yuca (pronounced you-kah), or cassava. Cassava root is a starchy, tuberous root that looks a lot like a potato or yam. It is indigenous to South America, but has been cultivated extensively in Asia and Africa. It is commonly called "yucca root", but technically it is yuca root or cassava root. For the purposes of our yucca recipes, we'll call it yucca root.
Got the difference? Great! Let’s move on…
We didn't eat yucca often while I was growing up because it was fairly expensive. It was considered a treat. When we did have it, we didn’t exactly use yucca recipes…
Let’s just say it was treated and eaten pretty much like a potato. And who doesn’t love a potato?
The flavor is mild and may have a touch of tartness. Once it is cooked it will sweeten up, so don't be turned off. Pick yucca that is firm with no spots or blemishes. I like to run hot water and scrub the skin with a vegetable brush and then peel them.
There is also a big fiber that runs down the middle of the root; you will need to remove this.
Buying Cassava Root
After you have your cassava all you need is a little creativity!
Click Here For Delicious Varieties Of Ready-To-Eat Cassava Chips!
Fried Yucca Chips:
Slice yucca into 1/4 inch or so slices and fry in hot oil (peanut is good, but vegetable and canola work just as well). Drain and salt with seasoned salt (or regular salt). Then eat ‘em while they’re still warm!
They’re like extra big potato chips and so good!
Boiled Yucca:
Slice or cube peeled yucca into 3 or 4 sections per root. Add yucca to boiling water and boil for 30-45 minutes. You may salt the water if you wish. Test doneness with a fork. Then drain and top with pats of butter, salt, and pepper. Yum!
Make this side dish even more versatile and mash the boiled yucca. Add butter, sour cream, milk, heavy cream, etc. and seasonings of your choice like garlic, pepper, cayenne pepper, etc.
Talk about tasty mashed yucca! (And with more fiber than potatoes how can you go wrong?)
A Simple Recipe:
Cube yucca into ½ inch chunks and add them in place of potatoes in soups and stews. They cook nearly the same, although they may take a few minutes longer due to their higher fiber content.
Now, we’re moving away from the yuca and back to the yucca (the type of yucca root recipes are not for) and focusing on the tastier parts of that plant.
Yucca Flowers:
Yucca flowers need to have the stamens removed so you are only eating the petals. They can be eaten raw, candied, dipped in batter and fried, sauteed and added to salads, omelets, frittatas, etc.
Here is an excellent recipe for fried yucca flowers!
Yucca Fruit:
If you are fortunate enough to come across the ovoid pods of the yucca fruit you are in for a treat. The fruits follow the flowers, so it’s one or the other. Leave the flowers to turn into fruit or eat the flowers and lose the fruit.
Eat them raw, right off the bush! They need to be picked while they are still white on the inside. Once the seeds (they are flat and black) have begun to form the fruit becomes bitter.
The fruit doesn’t taste how you might expect; it leans more towards a squash/cucumber flavor. It's pretty mild.
Roasting and broiling them will bring out a new sweetness, and it's worth it to try it. You can also dry them and use them later, or as this enterprising lady did, pickle them!
Feeling Adventurous? Click Here For A Huge Assortment Of Yucca Foods!
I know you'll find this vegetable useful and delicious. Enjoy experimenting and welcome to the wonderful world of yucca!
Related Pages:
Yucca For Your Health
Yucca For Pets
Yucca For Landscaping
