manioc root from Brazil
Are there any stores first in Florida or in the US that sells manioc root from northern Brazil? I have been on two mission trips there and have brought back several "blocks" of the product. They shave it off the block, sift it into a pan and make a "pancake" with it. It is then rolled into a scroll-looking item. I absolutely love it. But now have no more. Any ideas on where I might be able to buy it????
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itaunas
May 11, 2012 10:58 AM
Since someone spammed this thread, I'll add a late response. You are talking about tapioca (generally made to order) or beiju (more well done and generally sold prepared except in a steamed version) but are basically the same thing which is made from "goma de tapioca" which is actually the starch not the root itself. You can make it from the root, but the same process is used to make the starch in both "goma pronta" (what I believe you are referring to) and "povilho doce" which you can easily buy in the US (certainly in Broward county). Apparently you can simply hydrate povilho several hours to overnight, drain (very well) and pass it through a coarse sieve, but I have only made bijus from the ready goma.
At a Brazilian market or supermarket with a large Brazilian population look for "Polvilho Doce" also called fecula sometimes and also "amido doce." You don't want "polvilho azedo" or "fecula de mandioca azedo" which is great for Pao de Queijo but too strong for this application. You can try "tapioca starch" at Asian markets, although I haven't been very happy with the taste at least in Pao de Queijo. Like with "farinha" the industrial product isn't nearly as good as a fresh artesanal version, but I have heard of good results hydrating povilho doce and some brands are better than others.
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re: itaunas
What I am looking for is a hard block of tapioca/maniooc. I bought it in Mandacaru, in Joao Pessoa, Brazil. It actually looks like a block of cocaine! You have to "shave" it off the block. The girls in the kitchen put butter in the pan (small iron skillet) then shaved some into the skillet. They flipped it and then put it out onto paper towel. Then they rolled it up like a crepe. I loved it but the last two times I have been to Brazil is in Santa Catarina, (southern Brazil). Joao Pessoa is in northern Brazil. Am told that they like it in different forms around the country. Is there anyone out there who knows what I am talking about and whether or not I can buy it here in the US?? I did not buy it as a root, I do not want to have to cook it, strain it, etc!!!
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re: irishlady2
itaunas
May 22, 2012 05:48 AM
irishlady2 what you are looking for is an artisan product that is not available all over Brazil and expecting to find it in that exact form in the US (where shelf-stable Brazilian supermarket products which are USDA approved are sold) is a little exacting. :-) There are some industrial products for making tapioca and I have seen vacuum packed bags of goma blocks in the supermarket, but those are niche products which I don't think would be exported.
I split my time between Northeast Espirito Santo and Boston. I can tell you how to make goma de tapioca starch from scratch, I can tell you how to hydrate the starch (polvilho doce) for tapioca (pancakes), but aside from mailing you some (here its sold in small packets) and hoping it passes through customs I can't get you what you want. USDA certification is a tad expensive for the people who sell it at the local "feirinha." BTW, the majority of Brazilians in the US are from the Southeast, "centro-oeste," and south of Brazil with some recent additions from the Northeast and Rondonia so Northeastern specialties are not that common. BTW Paraiba is considered the Northeast, not the North of Brazil.
The traditional methods of making the goma fresca and polvilho doce are exactly the same thing. You smash or grate the mandioca root -- for the farinha its traditionally done in large mortar and pestle setups, but easily done in the food processor or on a box grater for the starch. You then wrap it in a towel and expunge the liquid. In making the starch the liquid is what you save, after 4 hours to overnight, the liquid which rises is decanted (in Amazonia this is reserved to make Tucupi -- although traditionally made with "mandioca brava" instead of the "mandioca doce" you would use for farinha/goma and buy in the supermarket). If you are just making goma and not tucupi or even farinha, I would suggest "washing" the grated mandioca a couple of times to make sure you get the best yield. To make "goma" for tapioca you need to partially dry the starch which sinks to the bottom of the bowl (towels can be used for this) and it will clump into blocks, which is why its passed through a coarse sieve to make tapioca. Polvilho doce is made by completely drying the starch usually in the sun and then it would be passed through a fine sieve. Polvilho azedo (sour) is fermented in the liquid before being processed. The "flour" farinha is cooked, the starch isn't. There are corn dishes like "curau de milho" which are made using a similar process and I make a savory "mingau" using similar methods (in these you don't settle the starch out).
Industrial methods are similar, although they utilize the fiborous parts for farinha and make polvillho both at the same time (less common I believe for artisan production). In any case, polvilho doce can be used to make tapiocas or beijus. Here in the northeast of Espirito Santo and in the South of Bahia there are whole towns which basically plant mandioca and use a shared facility to make farinha. This kind of "cooperative" is the main economic engine for those small towns.
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Bill: I live in Panama City, FL. So, should ask for yucca!!? I am NOT going to peel and cook myself!!!!! I want to BUY it already made into the flour---too lazy to do all that work. Oh well. I will google Spanish stores in the Panama City area and see what I come up with. I work in the Benevolence office of our church and we have lots of Mexicans coming through for clothes and food--maybe I can ask one of them the next time they come in. Thanks for responding! By the way, interesting video. Had no idea there was poison in manioc.
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re: irishlady2
Mild Bill
Oct 30, 2011 04:21 PM
My pleasure... It looked like you might be looking for the actual root/tuber so I mentioned you should look for Yuca...
Mexicans use corn masa harina, most likely they wouldn't know, but I'm not positive they don't use Manioc at all...
If you strike out-----
http://www.latinmerchant.com/productd...
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Mild Bill
Oct 29, 2011 02:59 PM
It is HUGE in Florida... Tampa and Miami especially... It's simply sold as 'Yuca'... (YOO-cah)
Cassava in some places...
But it's sold in natural root form, I've never seen the blocks...
You can use a box grater to make the pancake....Fun video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG_H8s...›2 Replies-
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re: irishlady2
Mild Bill
Oct 30, 2011 08:41 AM
Where are you in Florida? I only know about Tampa, but all the Spanish groceries have Yuca piled high... Start asking about Yuca, not Manioc...
I've never looked for Yuca, Manioc, or Cassava 'flour' but I'll bet they all have it as well...
Find your biggest Latin market and pop in...
If you strike out I'll keep an eye out in my neighborhood...I boil peeled Yuca in salted water till a knife can pierce it, then mash it up with the extra flavorful cooking liquids from my roast pork... Yum...
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