Triad Ethnic Food Dictionary

A Triad food, product and plant guide to promote informed shopping at ethnic and other markets. Strictly informal, with biases welcome.

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Bitter melon

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Three Sisters Rice

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Yuca, Manihot esculenta. Also known as manoic, cassava, or tapioca plant. Not to be confused with Yucca, a genus of plants that are in the Agave family and are native to Mexico and the southern U.S. Manihot esculenta is native to South America and is now grown in many other tropical regions of the world as a major source of carbohydrates. Two different types of the same species are grown: a "bitter" form and a "sweet" form. The differentiation is not based on taste but on the level of a toxic substance that must be removed before eating. Sweet manioc only needs to be peeled and cooked while bitter manioc must be peeled, grated, dried, washed or fermented and cooked before eating. Neither can be eaten raw.

To see how Amazonian Indians process manioc, go to this site:
http://anthropology.si.edu/canela/manioc.htm


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