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Manioc. In Peru, this root vegetable is called yucca. In Brazil, it is called manioc. It is also known as cassava. This root is a very common food for people in South America. It is high in carbohydrates. Its taste is similar to a potato.

You definitely need to cook manioc, because the plant contains traces of cyanide (a poison). The cyanide keeps insects from eating the leaves and roots of the plant. Another way to prepare manioc is to soak it for a long time, then mush it up and heat it over a large fire. The dry, crunchy stuff you are left with is called farina, which is a very popular food in Brazil.