Cassareep
Cassareep is the thickened, spiced juice of decoiled cassava tubers and a traditional ingredient in Trinidadian and Guiana cuisine.
Manufacturing
Cassareep is based on the juice of the manioc bulb. This is toxic because of the glucosides it contains , but the toxicity disappears when heated. The juice obtained by squeezing crushed roots is boiled until it has lost about half its volume and has the syrupy consistency of molasses . Spices are added, usually salt, pepper, sugar, cloves and cinnamon. The technique of boiling cassava to kill the glucosides was developed by the indigenous people of the southern Caribbean, the Arawak and Caribs . Today cassareep is exported from Trinidad and Guyana to the entire Caribbean and the USA.
use
Cassareep is used both as a flavoring or coloring ingredient for dishes and as a traditional remedy. As a seasoning , it is primarily used as an ingredient in the pepper pot , a stew that is widespread in the southern Caribbean. In general, it gives dishes a dominant, bittersweet aroma. As a remedy, it is used locally because of its antiseptic properties, and it is also used to preserve food.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dave DeWitt, Mary Jane Wilan: Callaloo, Calypso & Carnival. The Cuisines of Trinidad & Tobago . The Crossing Press, 1993, pp. 22 .
- ^ John Attfield: Analysis of Bitter Cassava Juice, and Experiments in Elucidation of its Supposed Antiseptic Properties . In: Yearbook of Pharmacy . J & A Churchill, 1870, p. 382 .