cassava

A starchy tropical root from the cassava plant (Manihot esculenta), widely used as a staple food in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia. The root has white or cream-colored flesh and is boiled, fried, baked, mashed, or processed into products such as flour, gari and tapioca. Cassava must be properly prepared and cooked before eating because raw cassava contains naturally occurring cyanogenic compounds.