Cassava

Look at cassava before you touch it. The skin should be tight, waxy, bark-brown, no cracks, no soft patches. Snap the tip off — the flesh inside must be white or faintly cream, wet-looking, never streaked grey or blue. Grey streaks mean the root has started to break down inside, and no amount of cooking brings it back.

Cassava is a root, thick with starch, and that starch is dense — it wants long, patient heat to soften, not a quick boil. Cut it, and you'll see the fibrous core running through the centre like a spine. That core stays tough even when the flesh around it turns creamy, so you pull it out before you eat, not after.

Some people say cassava is just a bland potato substitute. No! Raw cassava carries bitter compounds that only break down properly with heat and enough water — peel it, cut it, boil it well, always. That misconception is exactly why people undercook it, or worse, eat it raw thinking it's harmless like a carrot. A hundred grams gives you 160 kcal, mostly carbs — respect that density, and give the root the time it asks for.