posted November 07, 2014 01:12 PM            

Anyway, it is not yucky. It is absolutely delicious. I've seen the waxy tubers at the supermarket but never knew how to cook it. So I jumped in and brought home a bunch of different root vegetables from the Spanish grocery and began first by boiling the Yuca. It was easy to peel with the veg. peeler. I decided to cook it like my grandmother made parsley potatoes... diced small and boiled in salted water, served with butter and parsley. It was a delight to eat, but I didn't understand the bits of hard stuff that I could not chew. Later, I talked with a friend who said there is a thin tough core that you have to remove and that you have to boil it for almost an hour. Yikes. I thought I poisoned myself because the small diced pieces only 10 minutes to cook. I immediately took a dose of Zeolite by ZeoHealth and felt better, at least emotionally. Only later I realized the cyanide probably isn't so bad in small doses as it kills parasites inside your body.

This took me on a path of discovery, watching videos that show you how to prepare Yuca, which I should have watched first, but really actually enjoyed jumping into an experience first hand. It mades me feel as if I can conquer anything, even though we're talking staple foods here. It also brought me to a safe place of realizing that even toxins in small amounts can't really kill you. (side note: I have several friends who eat the core of the apple, like the horses do, and the tiny bit of cyanide keeps them free of parasites as well, but that is another topic for debate in another forum)

Back to the Yuca. I only watched two videos, the one by the shirtless chef, kind of disgusting but that's the first one the search engine gave me - couldn't help thinking that this guy's little chest hairs would end up in all his meals.
The other video was by Flor's Peruvian Kitchen sharing her native preparation which was much more appealing to watch. btw, she says to boil 15-20 minutes, not an hour, and so I would not have been poisoned after all

You should pick a yuca that is totally white inside, not yellow spots or dark fibers. I'm not sure you can find it in the USA without wax, as that is needed to preserve the moisture.