Fermented grated cassava mixed with roasted ground peanuts and cane sugar — a Liberian snack made from cassava that has been left to ferment before it is dried and worked with the peanut.
The pressing and fermenting is the detoxification step for cassava rather than a flavouring one, and shortening it — which is what an impatient cook does — is the documented route to cassava poisoning.
What goes into it
- cassava roots
- roasted groundnuts
- cane sugar
- water
How it is made
Cassava is peeled, grated and packed in sacks under weights for several days while it ferments and the liquid drains away — the step that removes the root’s cyanogenic glycosides. The pressed mash is dried and toasted, then pounded together with roasted groundnuts and sugar into a dense meal.
How long it takes: several days of pressing and fermenting, then drying
How it is eaten
Eaten dry by the handful, or moistened with water as a filling snack.
History
A Liberian snack made from cassava left to ferment before it is dried and worked with peanut and sugar.
Frequently asked questions
What is Khanyan?
Khanyan is a fermented & pickled from Liberia: fermented grated cassava mixed with roasted ground peanuts and cane sugar. A Liberian snack made from cassava left to ferment before it is dried and worked with peanut and sugar.
How is Khanyan made?
Cassava is peeled, grated and packed in sacks under weights for several days while it ferments and the liquid drains away — the step that removes the root’s cyanogenic glycosides. The pressed mash is dried and toasted, then pounded together with roasted groundnuts and sugar into a dense meal. It takes several days of pressing and fermenting, then drying.
Can I make Khanyan at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. The pressing and fermenting is the detoxification step for cassava rather than a flavouring one, and shortening it — which is what an impatient cook does — is the documented route to cassava poisoning.
What goes into Khanyan?
Cassava roots, roasted groundnuts, cane sugar, water.
How is Khanyan eaten?
Eaten dry by the handful, or moistened with water as a filling snack.
