Ingredients
Cassava
- 3 kgcassava, peeled
- water, for soaking and fermenting
To season
- 2 teaspoonssalt
- water, as needed
To wrap
- banana leaves or marantacea leaves
- string or strips of leaf rib
- boiling water, to soften the leaves
Equipment
- a large bowl or bucket
- a cloth for pressing
- a large pot with a lid
Directions
- Use sweet cassava if you have any choice. Peel it thickly and remove the woody core. Never taste the raw or fermenting root. Peel the cassava thickly with a knife. Remove the whole pink layer beneath the bark. Cut it into large even chunks. Rinse all the pieces thoroughly. Fermenting it takes three days. Put the chunks in a large bowl or bucket.
- Cover them completely with cold water. The pieces must stay under the water. Cover the container over loosely. Leave it at room temperature for three days. Judging the fermentation takes a look and a smell.
- Discard the whole batch if it smells rotten. Warm weather ferments it faster than cool. Drain the fermented cassava thoroughly. Put it in a cloth over a bowl. Twist the cloth and press hard. Squeeze out as much water as you can. Some cooks hang it with a weight for hours. Crush the pressed cassava thoroughly.
- Pound it in a mortar or work it in a processor. Add the salt and work it through. Add a little water if it is too dry to bind. It should form a smooth stiff paste. Pour boiling water over the leaves. Cut out the thick central rib. Wrapping them takes a little practice. Lay a leaf rectangle flat on the board. Spoon a line of the cassava paste along it.
- Shape it into a long thin cylinder. Aim for about twenty centimetres long. Roll the leaf tightly around it. Fold the ends over and tuck them under. Tie it with string or a strip of leaf rib. Wrap it in a second leaf for strength. The parcel must be watertight.
- Stand the parcels in a large pot. Add water to come halfway up them. Cover the pot with a tight lid. Bring it to a boil and lower the heat. Let them cook for a full hour. Turn them once halfway through.
- Top up the water if it boils away. Judging when they are done takes a test. Let them cool completely in their wrappers. They firm up considerably as they cool. Serve them alongside a stew or grilled fish. They keep four days wrapped at room temperature.
Technique
- Fermenting the cassava for several days reduces its cyanogenic compounds considerably and gives the batons their characteristic sour flavour.
- The wrapped sticks keep for days without refrigeration, which is why forest workers carry them.
Substitutions
- Banana leaves stand in for the marantacea leaves traditionally used in Gabon.
- Foil can be used as a wrapper, though it contributes no flavour at all.
Variations
- Chikwangue in Congo and mintumba in Cameroon are closely related preparations.
- Some cooks add a little palm oil to the dough.
- Sizes vary from short thick batons to long thin ones.
History
Fermented cassava dough wrapped in leaf batons, called bâtons de manioc, which keep for days and travel with forest workers.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cassava sticks?
Cassava sticks is a salad & side from Gabon: dense fermented cassava sticks steamed in leaves. Fermented cassava dough wrapped in leaf batons, called bâtons de manioc, which keep for days and travel with forest workers.
How long does Cassava sticks take to make?
Cassava sticks takes 1 hour plus 3 days fermenting of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes about 12 sticks. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Cassava sticks?
Yes, within limits. Banana leaves stand in for the marantacea leaves traditionally used in Gabon. Foil can be used as a wrapper, though it contributes no flavour at all.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cassava sticks?
Use sweet cassava if you have any choice. Peel it thickly and remove the woody core. Never taste the raw or fermenting root. Peel the cassava thickly with a knife. Remove the whole pink layer beneath the bark. Cut it into large even chunks. Rinse all the pieces thoroughly. Fermenting it takes three days. Put the chunks in a large bowl or bucket.
