Simply boiled cassava root, the indispensable Guaraní starch of the Litoral that replaces bread at every meal. Eaten with a drizzle of oil, salt, or alongside grilled fish and meat.
Boiled mandioca (cassava) is the indispensable starch of the Argentine Litoral, the Guaraní-Mesopotamian northeast. Where the Pampas eat bread, the Litoral eats mandioca: boiled, peeled and served with oil, salt, or alongside grilled river fish and meat. The cassava is peeled, cut into manageable pieces, boiled in salted water until tender (about 25 minutes), and drained. Its mild, slightly nutty flavour and dense, soft texture make it the perfect absorbent foil for the region's grilled fish and rich sauces. The tradition is pre-Columbian Guaraní: cassava has been the staple root of this region for thousands of years, and its simple boiling is the most basic preparation, the starch that sustains.
Soft, dense, mild and faintly nutty chunks of boiled cassava, starchy and satisfying, soaking up whatever oil, salt or sauce they are served with. The simplest food, and in the Litoral, the most essential.
The preparation is deliberately minimal: peel, boil, drain. Cassava must be fully cooked, as raw cassava contains cyanogenic compounds that are destroyed by heat. The root is peeled (the skin and inner pink layer removed), cut into 8cm pieces, boiled in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes until a fork pierces easily, then drained. The fibres running through the root are removed after cooking by pulling them out. The texture is dense, soft and slightly sticky, more substantial than potato. Its mild flavour absorbs seasonings readily, which is why it pairs with everything from grilled fish to chimichurri.
Variations
Fried cassava (mandioca frita) is a popular variant. Some serve it with garlic oil or cheese.
On the Palate
Where Mandioca Hervida sits in the Argentinian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
5 steps · 10 min
- 15 min
Peel 1kg fresh cassava roots, removing both the outer skin and the inner pink layer; cut into 8cm pieces.
- 27 min
Boil in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes until a fork pierces easily.
Watch outBoil until a fork slides in easily — cassava must be fully cooked through, both for the soft texture and because raw root is unsafe.
- 34 min
Drain; pull out any tough fibres.
- 44 min
Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, or alongside grilled fish or meat.
- 53 min
Eat with fingers or fork, pulling the soft flesh from the fibres.
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