Cultural Connections: Oven Baked Yuca Fries

Hi everyone I'm Lyndsey and this is my first contribution to Our Krazy Kitchen. I would like to thank Martha (Seaside Simplicity) for thinking of me and inviting me to share with this amazing group of people. Also Our Krazy Kitchen for wanting to include me. I am a home cook who really enjoys food and cooking. I used to be a travel agent and the best part of my job was trying all the local food. So I would like to share some of my discoveries and food finds, that might bring a little cultural connections.

Living in Florida we have a large amount of us that are from somewhere else. It also makes it easy to find many ethnic food right in our supermarkets. There are a lot of Caribbean influence, which is where you will find yuca on the menu. Yucca (also known as manioc or cassava), is a white, starchy tropical vegetable that is widely grown and consumed in Africa, Asia, Latin America, South America and the Caribbean.

Yuca, this root's name is pronounced "yoo-ka," can be used a lot like potatoes, especially in stews. Since it is so fibrous it is usually boiled first before you sauté, fry or mash. This versatile root appears from soup to dessert. Today we are going to make some oven baked yuca fries.

You can buy it in the freezer section

or the fresh root, if you can find it.

It peels easily even though the skin looks like bark.