Lesson 6.5.3 CASSAVA, MANIOC - Fermenting
FOOD FOREST COURSE
CASSAVA, MANIOC - Fermenting
Fermenting
So; what does it
mean to ferment the cassava? Most people
don’t know what I mean by this but those people from other cultures that are
familiar with their own traditional ferments, appreciate the value and taste of
fermented foods.
The people of Africa and Brazil will make gari
from their cassava.
Gari
Take some washed
and peeled cassava. It is recommended to
use an electric grater as grating by hand is definitely doing things on a
village level. (Has anyone seen my pounding stick?) The grated cassava is then placed in bags to
have as much of the liquid expressed out of it, bringing the moisture content
to 55%. Placing weights on the bags does
this. We did this when we were given a
whole wheelbarrow load of cassava tubers and placed all the grated cassava into
a pillow slip. My husband then devised some indescribable method of making a
press with a stepladder and placing a very heavy rock to extract the liquid out
onto a tray. It worked rather well but for several days we had to take it apart
each day and rearrange the contents in the pillowcase to make sure all the
liquid was expelled.
The dry, grated cassava is then left to ferment for three to six days and this will give it a slight acidic flavour before it is lightly roasted in large pans at 120ºC with a little oil whilst constantly stirring. The whole lot is then spread out to dry in the sun. A light crisp product is the result, and this is called” farinha de mandioca”. The moisture content should be 10% if it is made properly.
The dried gari can be kept for up to two years and it simply needs to be soaked in hot water before use. Traditionally it is then made into balls and eaten with meat and vegetable stews. Gari can also be used with yam and sweet potato, with fish or with peanuts and coconut as long as it is soaked first to rehydrate it.
In Brazil, gari is made in very much the same way except the fermentation time is shorter, thus giving the final product a somewhat different taste. When packaged properly it has a good shelf life.
Bila
Another
traditional ferment is bila. Simply wash
and peel the cassava and then cut into large even-sized pieces. Place the cassava pieces in a container (but
not in iron or aluminium) and cover completely with water. In four to five days the water will ferment
and there will be a smell coming from the cassava. Small bubbles will be seen to rise to the
surface. When the cassava pieces become
a bit soft and limp then the water can be drained off. Spread the cassava in the sun to dry for a
few hours. Traditionally, the cassava is
pounded with a stone, but if they had electricity I’m sure they would use an
electric grater like I do!
Bila will keep for
about a week in the fridge.
Text from the roots, Elisabeth Ferkonia (Aus.) PDC
studied with Bill Mollison,
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