Also called Cassava, the yuca root is of American origin, used by Caribbean and Central American Indians as a staple food source. This cooking vegetable is the thickening source of tapioca. Also, it was used in olden days to starch clothing. Available year round, it is cultivated in Southern and Central American countries, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, South Pacific and Florida. It is shaped like an elongated sweet potato and has pink to brown skin, which is softly fibrous with white flesh.

Encourage cassava use in stews to help thicken and absorb juices. Look for the product weighing 1.5 lb to 3 lbs and measuring 1.5 to 4 inches in diameter and up to 2 ft. long. Cassava is found in the Latin section of the produce department or along the specialty section. You may find samples of peeled and boiled cassava with an added marinated sauce also called mojo to liven the taste. A yuca root has approximately 135 calories per ½ cup and contains iron and niacin.