What Are Your Favorite Latin American Foods and Recipes?

Coconut and Mango Rice Pudding Pops

In case you haven't noticed yet, we're focusing on cooking inspired by Latin America this week. From the common (burritos!) to the less well-known (Brazilian cheese puffs!) Mexico, Central America, and South America offer a huge range of rich cuisine. We've co-opted some of this into everyday American cooking (see: tacos) but we're interested in learning more, too. What's your favorite Latin American recipe or cuisine?

One of my latest loves has been paletas, the ubiquitous Mexican popsicle. The rice pudding-inspired popsicles above are a fantastic dessert for late summer, creamy and satisfying.

Get the recipe: Coconut and Mango Rice Pudding Pops

What about you? Have you learned or inherited especially treasured recipes or tastes from Latin America?

(Image: Faith Durand)

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A Staple Starch: Cassava, Manioc & Yuca Ingredient Spotlight

Cassava, manioc, and yuca are all names for the same starchy tuber grown throughout South America, Africa, and Asia. You might be more familiar with it in its dried and powdered form: tapioca. This root is a dietary mainstay in many parts of the world and forms the carbohydrate base for many excellent meals. Do you ever cook with cassava?

Cassava is a highly drought-resistant crop that was first cultivated in the northern parts of South America before spreading to other tropical regions in Africa and Asia. The root itself is long and narrow with tough brown skin covering dense creamy-white flesh. Cassava is extremely hardy, lasting for weeks in storage or up to several years if left in the ground.

Something to know is that all cassava produce toxic cyanide, but the two main edible varieties produce it in different amounts. "Sweet" cassava is the root most often sold for home cooking and has its cyanide concentrated near the surface. After peeling and normal cooking, it is safe to eat. "Bitter" cassava has cyanide throughout the root and can only be eaten after extensive grating, washing, and pressing to remove the harmful toxins. Bitter cassava is not typically sold for home use, especially here in the US, and is more commonly used to make tapioca and other cassava by-products.

Think of cassava like potatoes: it can be steamed, boiled, baked, or fried before being eaten on its own, mashed, or added to other dishes. It has a very mild flavor that takes seasonings very well. To prepare it for cooking, just peel off the outer skin, chop it into pieces, and cook until soft and no longer crunchy.

Do you use cassava in your cooking? What are your favorite dishes?

Related: What's the Difference Between Yuca and Yucca?

(Image: Tristan Tan/Shutterstock)

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CasProj - The University of Queensland, Australia Preface Before teaching this project, discuss the content of the lessons with a field officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and get advice on planting material ... Baton de Manioc & Chikwangue - The Congo Cookbook (African recipes ... from: Central Africa cooking method: steaming. Baton de Manioc & Chikwangue. The cassava plant (Manihot esculenta, also called manioc, yuca, and yucca) is native to ... AGROJOURNAL: Tanam Ubi Kayu (Tapioca) Tapioca is essentially a flavorless starchy ingredient, or fecula, produced from treated and dried cassava (manioc) root and used in cooking. It is similar ... Cassava-based dishes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A great variety of cassava-based dishes are consumed in the regions where cassava (manioc, Manihot esculenta) is cultivated, and they include many national or ethnic ... Cassava - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cassava (Manihot esculenta), also called yuca, mogo, manioc, mandioca and kamoting kahoy, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family) native to South America ... tapioca: Definition from Answers.com tapioca n. A beady starch obtained from the root of the cassava, used for puddings and as a thickening agent in cooking Stuart's Brasil: Aipim, Mandioca, Manioc, Po-de-pobre, Cassava ... Before launching into too much technical detail, which is worth knowing as this is one plant that ranks with rice and maize as a major staple for the vast ... TypeBase Blood Type Diet Values: yucca General Description: Though native to South America, the majority of cassava now comes from Africa, where it's an important staple. Also called manioc and yuca , the ... Cassava Manioc, yucca, yucca root, casabe Manihot ... If you dont already know what it is, youre probably wondering what is cassava or yuca? It is a long tuberous starchy root about two inches around and eight ... Exactly what is tapioca and where does it come from ? Tapioca comes from the cassava root (also known as yuca, manioc, mandioca), which is a staple in Africa and South America. Like most roots it has a tough brown skin ...