Yuca What is it? Uses Benefits New Recipes
Cassava (Yuca or Yucca) is grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas and Asia. The plant is used for medicinal, industrial and culinary purposes.
It has been found to be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes, osteoporosis, high cholesterol levels and kidneys.
In addition to these advantages, the plant contains two amino acids: biosignalins and saponins that are present in large quantities.
The reason it is called the "miracle plant" is because of the numerous benefits it provides to an individual when used in their diet.
There are many ways you can use cassava in your diet to improve overall health, increase weight loss and build muscle mass, lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels, and also restore energy levels after physical exertion.
What is yuca?
Yuca or Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a shrub (tuber) that grows in tropical and subtropical regions. In its wild form it is found in the Amazon, and is cultivated in Brazil, Africa and some Asian countries such as Thailand and China.
Remember you can see the recipe for Arepa Cabimera
What is Yuca like?
The cassava root divides into bundles of tubers 30 to 50 cm long and 5 to 10 cm in diameter. A cassava tuber weighs between 2 and 5 kg. The cassava tuber has a rather rough, dark brown skin and white flesh. When cooked, it has a fairly neutral flavor that may remind one a little of potatoes or chestnuts. It should always be eaten cooked.
How is Yuca known in other countries?
It is known as Yucca in South and Central America and the Antilles, Cassava in English-speaking countries, Macacheira in Brazil and Guacamote in Mexico.
What are its components, properties and benefits?
The main ingredient in cassava is starch, which can be extracted from fresh or dried plants. The extracted starch can be dried, ground into flour or powder and then consumed as a supplement or added to food products such as breads and cakes.
Other components of Yuca are carbohydrates, fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins A, B1, B2, C and E and minerals such as calcium and iron.
It gives you a Arepa con Queso?
Another very important ingredient is saponins, which help improve blood sugar levels and reduce blood pressure. It also contains antioxidants that can protect the body from free radicals and prevent the formation of cancer cells.
- May help with digestion and colon problems
- May help with the immune system
- May reduce inflammation
- May help lower blood pressure
- Does not contain gluten.
Contraindications of Yuca
The main contraindication to consume this fabulous food is that it must be cooked, it cannot be eaten raw. There is even a type that is bitter and inedible. If you live in the city you should not have any problems, since it is difficult to find the inedible type of yucca in the market. However, in the countryside you should be more careful.
what are arepas?
How to prepare Cassava it for consumption?
To consume the Yuca it is necessary to cook it and there are many ways to do it. Simply boiling them until they are soft, adding some salt and butter, is more than enough for anyone. At dinner or breakfast, as an accompaniment to the main meal.
It is important to note that the variety of yucca consumed is sweet, not bitter yucca, which is poisonous and dangerous. In addition, raw yucca should never be eaten.
They can also be eaten fried, in the form of arepas, cassava as a healthy substitute for bread and stop counting the recipes of many countries with this food.
Why and how is cassava cooked?
Beneath the brown skin of the yucca is a white, flour-like pulp. Its relatively neutral flavor makes it suitable for a wide variety of dishes. Cassava resembles potato and can be cooked like potato. It can also be consumed as flour or starch. It is similar to tapioca flour.
Advantages of Yuca in the kitchen
Cassava can be enjoyed for many reasons. First of all, for its nutritional properties. It is rich in carbohydrates, starch and non-irritating fiber and provides a lot of energy.
After eating cassava, one usually feels very full. The presence of starch also makes it very easy to digest, which makes it an ally to regulate intestinal transit. Cassava is also a food high in glycine, an amino acid that slows the aging process.
Secondly, cassava is interesting because it does not contain gluten. Therefore, people with gluten allergy or intolerance can consume cassava and its derivatives without risk to their health or digestive system.
Finally, as already mentioned, the flavor is relatively neutral. Therefore, it appeals to both the most sensitive palates and lovers of variety. New dishes can always be reinvented by changing cooking methods, sauces and garnishes.
It gives you a Arepa Reina Pepiada?
How to select them at the time of purchase?
If you are in a big city, you will most likely find this food frozen and without the shell, which is a way to keep them for several days. If you go to a popular market, you will find them whole, but when you ask for them, they will chop them so that you can select the ones you need.
In any case you should always choose the ones that are completely white, without black dots or lines. These will be the freshest and softest for sure.
Good quality cassava is a hard root, free of cracks, blemishes, mold and odor. A strong odor or blue-gray lines indicate high levels of prussic acid. This indicates poor transport or storage, because cassava is delicate and its peel contains cyanide, which may have migrated into the pulp.
If they are just a few spots, there is no need to be alarmed because they are still edible. Remove only what you can, and wash and boil the root well.
Secondly, choose a root that is still fresh and not already wilted and dry. Although it may not look like it, yucca contains a lot of water (60-70%) when it is not old.
Best Yuca Recipes
Cassava is very rich in carbohydrates and can substitute potato, rice, pasta, wheat and is gluten-free.
This super starch can be consumed boiling, frying, steaming (after cooking) or, finally, in the form of puree. It can be served with meat, fish or other vegetables. In Venezuela and many other countries, for example, they like to be served with grilled meat. But we also like them in the morning in a sweet version cooked in coconut milk.
It can also be used to make sweet or savory fritters, cakes, hamburgers, etc. There are many recipes based on yuca.
Fried Yucca Sticks
Cassava
A food available all year round
In most countries where cassava is grown, it is available almost all year round and its cultivation is quite simple.
Where to buy Yucca in the United States?
If you are in the United States you can use these links to buy the different varieties of yucca on Amazon, here are some products.
You can continue to see more ingredients o recetas de arepas
You can continue to see arepas colombianas, arepas venezolanas or go to arepa
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