Casabe

Casabe is made from bitter cassava, a root that contains enough cyanogenic compound to be dangerous raw, and the whole point of the technique is removing it: the root is grated, the pulp squeezed in a woven tubular press called a sebucán to drive out the liquid, then sieved and spread on a hot flat griddle to cook as a large thin disc. The knowledge is indigenous and very old, and it was inscribed by UNESCO in 2024 in a nomination shared with several Caribbean countries.

What you actually see

• The sebucan - the woven tube press that squeezes the poison out with the liquid.
• The budare griddle - the flat hot plate the bread is cooked on.
• The grating and sieving - the stages that turn root into workable flour.
• The finished disc - a large thin brittle bread, eaten plain or with toppings.

When to go

Year round; it is sold in markets and by roadside everywhere. Casabe houses in the eastern states and the Orinoco region are where the process is seen. It keeps for a long time, which is part of its purpose.

Honest expectations

Plain casabe is dry and almost flavourless and is meant to be eaten with something. It goes stale and soft quickly once opened in humid weather. The process cannot be shortcut safely, which is why it is worth understanding.

Nearby

The Orinoco Delta and the eastern states are where it is most made.