Tapioca, cassava or maracheeni is the fourth widespread staple food of the world. The first three places belong to wheat, rice and potatoes respectively.
Till the late 70s tapioca was the main food among the rural population of kerala. Late in the 80s due to the green revolution rice production multiplied and the onset of widespread cultivation of rubber in the midlands made the cultivation of tapioca unproductive. Due to the urbanization of a minority of the population and deeming them as modern made the rural population blindly follow the urbaners. The onset of a bread factory in the premises of Cochin made bread available all over kerala. People drifted away from using tapioca and the consumption of it was deemed as uncivilized by the so called urban elite.
A revival in the cultivation and consumption of tapioca can be observed after 2000 due to the new awareness among the people of the hazards of consuming junk food.
Coming back to the pre 70s tapioca was breakfast, lunch and dinner to the rural keralite. It was simply boiled and consumed along with birds eye chilies (kanthari mulaku) chutney and jaggery coffee. (Jaggery is the unrefined non bleached natural sugar from sugar cane).
Now the recipe for making boiled tapioca.
Ingredients
Tapioca 1 kg
Salt 1 teaspoon
Water for cooking
For chutney
Shallots 100 gm
Green chillies 5 nos
Salt 1 teaspoon
Olive oil or Coconut oil 2 tablespoons
Preparation
Remove the skin from the tapioca and cut them into 5-10 cm long pieces. Wash them thoroughly and put them in a deep vessel. Pour water in to the vessel till all the tapioca pieces are submerged. Add salt and Place the vessel on the sove and cook till the tapioca pieces are cooked well. Check the tapioca pieces using a fork whether they are cooked. When cooked drain the water using a sieve.
For chutney grind the shallots, green chili and salt together using a grinder and add the oil to the chutney.
Till the late 70s tapioca was the main food among the rural population of kerala. Late in the 80s due to the green revolution rice production multiplied and the onset of widespread cultivation of rubber in the midlands made the cultivation of tapioca unproductive. Due to the urbanization of a minority of the population and deeming them as modern made the rural population blindly follow the urbaners. The onset of a bread factory in the premises of Cochin made bread available all over kerala. People drifted away from using tapioca and the consumption of it was deemed as uncivilized by the so called urban elite.
A revival in the cultivation and consumption of tapioca can be observed after 2000 due to the new awareness among the people of the hazards of consuming junk food.
Coming back to the pre 70s tapioca was breakfast, lunch and dinner to the rural keralite. It was simply boiled and consumed along with birds eye chilies (kanthari mulaku) chutney and jaggery coffee. (Jaggery is the unrefined non bleached natural sugar from sugar cane).
Now the recipe for making boiled tapioca.
Ingredients
Tapioca 1 kg
Salt 1 teaspoon
Water for cooking
For chutney
Shallots 100 gm
Green chillies 5 nos
Salt 1 teaspoon
Olive oil or Coconut oil 2 tablespoons
Preparation
Remove the skin from the tapioca and cut them into 5-10 cm long pieces. Wash them thoroughly and put them in a deep vessel. Pour water in to the vessel till all the tapioca pieces are submerged. Add salt and Place the vessel on the sove and cook till the tapioca pieces are cooked well. Check the tapioca pieces using a fork whether they are cooked. When cooked drain the water using a sieve.
For chutney grind the shallots, green chili and salt together using a grinder and add the oil to the chutney.
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