www.lesswrong.com/posts/TMFNQoRZxM4CuRCY6/reason-isn-t-magic
1 correction found
when the Portuguese introduced it to Africa, they didn't bother with those steps - just, grow it, cook it, eat it.
This overstates the history. Historical sources say cassava-processing knowledge traveled to Africa with the crop, and African traditional processing methods likely derive from Indigenous American techniques rather than being simply omitted.
Full reasoning
Historical sources do not support the claim that the Portuguese introduced cassava to Africa while skipping the detoxifying preparation methods and treating it as a simple “grow it, cook it, eat it” crop.
A Plant Humanities Lab history of cassava says that when cassava spread to Africa, knowledge of how to process it traveled too: traders first moved it as farinha (manioc flour) produced in Brazil, and later Amerindian peoples who knew how to process the plant were also brought to Africa. The article adds that Africans also brought back cassava-processing knowledge learned in the New World.
An FAO overview likewise states that traditional cassava processing methods in Africa probably originated from tropical America and were adapted from Indigenous techniques. It describes African processing methods that include grating, soaking, fermenting, pressing, drying, and milling—not merely boiling raw roots.
So while some African preparations can be simple for low-cyanide varieties, the blanket historical claim that the Portuguese “didn't bother” with the processing steps is contradicted by the historical record showing that cassava-processing knowledge accompanied the crop into Africa.
2 sources
- Cassava: From Toxic Tuber to Food Staple | Plant Humanities Lab
As Europeans moved between continents, knowledge of cassava preparation, together with the plant itself, traveled with them... At first, traders and slavers transported it in the form of a finished product, farinha (manioc flour), that had been produced in Brazil. Eventually, Amerindian peoples from the New World who knew how to process the plant were also brought to Africa.
- An overview of traditional processing and utilization of cassava in Africa | FAO
Traditional cassava processing methods in use in Africa probably originated from tropical America, particularly northeastern Brazil and may have been adapted from indigenous techniques... The processing methods include peeling, boiling, steaming, slicing, grating, soaking or seeping, fermenting, pounding, roasting, pressing, drying, and milling.