CASSAVA Flower
Cassava Flour is an amazing, grain-free and nut-free replacement for wheat flour that can be used as a 1:1 substitute in countless recipes. Cassava flour is gluten, grain and nut-free.
The cassava plant is a staple crop to millions of inhabitants in South America and parts of Asia and Africa. The plant produces the cassava root (also known as yuca or manioc), a starchy, high-carbohydrate tuber like yam, taro, plantains and potato.
As a tuberous root vegetable, cassava is gluten, grain and nut-free, as well as vegan, vegetarian and paleo.
Cassava flour is not the same as tapioca flour
While sometimes the terms cassava flour and tapioca flour are used interchangeably, there are in fact distinct differences. Tapioca is a starch extracted from the cassava root through a process of washing and pulping. The wet pulp is then squeezed to extract a starchy liquid. Once all the water evaporates from the starchy liquid, the tapioca flour remains.
Alternatively, cassava flour is the whole root, simply peeled, dried and ground. This means it has more dietary fiber than tapioca flour and allows me to make cassava flour tortillas, which would not be possible with tapioca flour.
Cassava flour is the most like wheat flour (of gluten-free flours)
This is the holy grail characteristic of cassava flour. Unlike other gluten-free flours such as almond or coconut flour, cassava flour is very mild and neutral in flavor. Its also not grainy or gritty in texture rather, its soft and powdery.
These qualities, along with the fact that it can be replaced on a 1:1 basis with wheat flour in many recipes, make cassava flour a preferred flour for gluten-free, grain-free baking and cooking. Its also a great nut-free flour.
