a starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics
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cassava root eaten as a staple food after drying and leaching; source of tapioca
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cassava with long tuberous edible roots and soft brittle stems; used especially to make cassiri (an intoxicating drink) and tapioca
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Manioc \Ma"ni*oc\, n. [Pg. mandioca, fr. Braz.] (Bot.) The tropical plants ({Manihot utilissima}, and {Manihot Aipi}), from which cassava and tapioca are prepared; also, cassava. [Written also {mandioc}, {manihoc}, {manihot}.]
Cassava \Cas"sa*va\ (k[a^]s"s[.a]*v[.a]), n. [F. cassave, Sp. cazabe, fr. kasabi, in the language of Haiti.] 1. (Bot.) A shrubby euphorbiaceous plant of the genus {Manihot}, with fleshy rootstocks yielding an edible starch; -- called also {manioc}.
Note: There are two species, bitter and sweet, from which the cassava of commerce is prepared in the West Indies, tropical America, and Africa. The bitter ({Manihot utilissima}) is the more important; this has a poisonous sap, but by grating, pressing, and baking the root the poisonous qualities are removed. The sweet ({Manihot Aipi}) is used as a table vegetable.
2. A nutritious starch obtained from the rootstocks of the cassava plant, used as food and in making tapioca.
Some have shifted cultivations from banana to manioc.