- Inscribed in 2024 (COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
PARIS, France – Cassava bread is a round bread made from the cassava tuber. The bread is generally made from the bitter variety of cassava so that it can be preserved for a longer time, although sweet cassava is sometimes used.
Cassava bread is usually a part of meals but can be consumed on its own. In Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), cassava bread varies in flavour (savoury or sweet), texture (soft or hard), size and thickness.
Its production always begins by peeling, washing and grating the tuber. The pulp is dried out and the resulting flour is sifted with an artisanal sieve. A dough is prepared using the flour and is then cooked, generally over firewood, on ceramic or iron plates, depending on each country. The knowledge and skills related to the making of cassava bread are usually transmitted informally, within households and communities. They are also transmitted through media and culinary institutes.
In most countries, cassava bread is a key part of daily diets and provides a connection with the communities’ Indigenous and African heritage. It promotes tolerance and unity, as each community values its own cassava bread-making while recognizing the practices of other communities and groups.
